Israel launches airstrikes near Syrian capital

DAMASCUS/JERUSALEM -- Israeli airstrikes targeted areas near the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday evening.

"The Israeli enemy launched an aerial attack from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting several civilian sites south of Damascus," resulting in material damage, the Syrian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

Specific details on the extent of the damage were not immediately available.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said in a statement that it struck a site used as Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters in Syria, aiming to "undermine the intelligence abilities of Hezbollah".

The military said the compound attacked reportedly served as a branch of Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters, "an independent intelligence gathering, coordination, and assessment network under the direct command of Hezbollah's Head of Intelligence".

According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the strikes consisted of three separate attacks on farms located in southern and southeastern Sayyidah Zaynab within the Damascus countryside.

The observatory reported confirmed human casualties but did not provide specific numbers.

The targeting of Hezbollah's intelligence assets in Syria follows a broader Israeli campaign against Hezbollah sites and operatives in Lebanon.