Israeli missile barrage shot down over Homs airbase, Syria says

Israel blamed for attack on airbase near Homs. Syria says only material losses were sustained.

By David Isaac, World Israel News

Israel struck the Tiyas Military Airbase, also known as T-4, near Homs, a city 162 kilometers north of Damascus, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reports. If the report is accurate, it would be the second Israeli strike in two days.

SANA claims that the Syrian Arab Army air defenses “confronted … the Israeli missile aggression” and “shot down most of the hostile missiles.”

Citing a military source, it said the attack took place at 10:23 p.m. on Wednesday night and that “losses were limited to materials.”

Israel did not comment on that attack.

On Monday night, an airstrike attributed to Israel killed 10 terrorists, most belonging to Iranian or Hezbollah-backed groups, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, a London-based watchdog group. Israel did not comment on that attack either.

Israel has been accused of attacking the T-4 airbase before, which houses Syrian, Iranian-backed and Russian forces.

In January, Israel was blamed for an attack on the airbase. Then, too, Syria claimed its air defenses were largely effective.

“Our air defenses immediately confronted the hostile missiles and brought down a number of them. Four missiles reached the targeted area and there were only material losses,” SANA reported, quoting a military official.