Suspected Israeli airstrikes hit Damascus and the surrounding area

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian state media reports that Israeli airstrikes have hit the area of Damascus. According to Syrian state-run Al-Ikhbariya TV, Syria’s air defenses shot down “most of” the missiles. It is not immediately clear if there were any casualties. Israeli authorities have not commented. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition-linked war monitor, says the strikes mark the 20th time Israel has struck targets in Syria this year. The observatory says the strikes hit military sites and warehouses of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, an ally of the Syrian government, causing the outbreak of fires.