Israel, why bomb Damascus if you're defending against Iranian attacks near the Golan?

Sputnik, 00:41 10.05.2018 (updated 06:57 10.05.2018):

... Israeli missile strikes against Damascus continued for hours after the skirmish erupted near the Golan Heights. The escalation marked a significant confrontation between Israel and Syria and perhaps the biggest military escalation since the Yom Kippur War, also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, which ended with an agreement on disengagement in 1974.

According to the Syrian-based media reports, Israeli shelling destroyed a Syrian radar site early on Thursday. Moreover, several Israeli rockets hit several military sites. Syrian state media reported earlier that southern suburbs of the Syrian city of Homs came under heavy fire. A military source told the SANA news agency one of the rockets struck an ammunition warehouse.

In addition, Israeli warplanes raided Iranian positions in Syria overnight, firing dozens of rockets into the Syrian territory in response to a barrage of Iranian rockets, the Israeli army said Thursday. "The Israeli Defense Forces attacked tens of military targets belonging to Iran's al-Quds militia in the Syrian territory," the military said in a statement. ...

"The bombing is reportedly being carried out by Israeli warplanes from Lebanese airspace." 

Visit the Sputnik site for lots of video and eyewitness accounts of the bombings included with the above report, and Sputnik is reporting a lot of 'breaking news' on the conflict.  Also watch for reports on the conflict from Al-Masdar News, SANA, and FARS.   

RT, May 9 - 22:54, updated 03:53

"The [Israeli] bombardment appeared to go on for hours, with the first missile strikes reported at about 1:30 am Damascus time on Thursday (22:30 GMT)."

ISRAEL LAUNCHES MASSIVE MISSILE STRIKES IN SYRIA

 [...]

Syrian air defenses were deployed to thwart an attack by the Israeli rockets, Syria’s state SANA news agency reported. The bombing is reportedly being carried out by Israeli warplanes from Lebanese airspace.

Syrian air defenses engaged missiles that Israeli warplanes are launching from outside the country's territory, SANA reported on Thursday.

The bombardment appeared to go on for hours, with the first missile strikes reported at about 1:30 am Damascus time on Thursday (22:30 GMT).

Early Thursday morning, IDF spokesman Avichay Adraee confirmed that the Israeli army was continuing to hit “Iranian targets” in Syria, warning that any retaliation by Syrian forces would be met with “extreme seriousness.”

SANA has released footage of Syrian air defense systems responding to incoming missiles.

The Israeli strikes are seen as a continued retaliation to what Israel claims were some 20 rockets launched by Iran’s Quds Force from Syrian territory into the Israeli-occupied part of the Golan Heights earlier in the night. The Israel Defense Forces said its Iron Dome systems intercepted some of the projectiles and the reported attack resulted in no injuries.

Around the same time, Syria’s state media reported that Israel shelled the city of Baath in the northern Quneitra governorate.

[...]

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