Syria thwarts Israeli attack over Damascus countryside, state media says

Syrian air defenses have thwarted an "Israeli aggression" over the Damascus countryside, Syrian state media said early on Sunday.

It did not give other details.

For years Israel has been carrying out attacks against what it has described as Iran-linked targets in Syria, where Tehran's influence has grown since it began supporting President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war that started in 2011.

Israeli strikes on Syria increased after the start of the war in Gaza last October. Israel typically does not comment on specific reports of strikes in Syria. —Reuters