Syrian air defences respond to 'hostile targets' in vicinity of Damascus- state media

Syrian air defences shot down on Friday two drones in the west of Damascus, state media reported, citing a military source as saying the drones came from the direction of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to the west of the capital. The Israeli military has said it does not comment on reports in foreign media.

Syrian air defences shot down on Friday two drones in the west of Damascus, state media reported, citing a military source as saying the drones came from the direction of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to the west of the capital.

The Israeli military has said it does not comment on reports in foreign media. Syrian state media reported earlier that the air defences were responding to "hostile targets" in the vicinity of Damascus.

Since December, Israeli strikes have killed more than half a dozen Revolutionary Guards, including a top intelligence general. Separately, the U.S. military launched airstrikes earlier this month in Syria and Iraq against more than 85 targets linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards and the militias it backs, in retaliation for an attack in Jordan in January that killed three U.S. troops.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards have suffered one of their most bruising spells in Syria since arriving a decade ago to aid President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian war, as the United States and Israel conduct strikes against Iran-backed militias in the country. Informed sources told Reuters that the Guards had pulled out some of their senior officers as a result. Iran's ambassador to Syria said on Thursday that Iran remained "present" in Syria. Iran's foreign minister is due in Lebanon on Friday and then Damascus early next week for meetings with top officials.

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