Missile fragments fell near a village near Damascus after Israeli interception [Getty]
Residents in Syria’s Rif Dimashq province, which surrounds the Syrian capital Damascus, have said that debris from an intercepted Iranian missile fell near the village of Ma’as early on Wednesday, causing panic.
According to the Syrian state news channel Al-Ikhbariya, debris fell near Ma’as after the missile was intercepted by the Israeli army, saying however that there was no damage or casualties.
Al-Ikhbariya cited a resident of the nearby village of Al-Mushaqaq, Ibrahim al-Mousa, who said the interception sparked fear and panic among residents, particularly children.
“Had the missile debris fallen on a house, it could have caused damage,” he said, noting the risks civilians face from ongoing aerial exchanges amid the US-Israeli war against Iran that began on 28 February.
On Tuesday, Syrian media also reported that Israeli air defences intercepted and shot down an Iranian drone over the village of Jleen in southern Syria. Al-Ikhbariya TV further reported that Iranian missiles were intercepted in the skies over Quneitra province.
Syrian media outlets had earlier reported a similar incident this week, when Israeli air defences intercepted another Iranian missile over the Quneitra countryside.
In addition, an Iranian drone was shot down by Israeli air defences over the town of Al-Hara in Daraa’s countryside last week.
The interceptions come as the US-Israeli military campaign against Tehran, now in its 13th day, continues to escalate and spread across the Middle East.
The attacks have so far killed at least 1,348 civilians across Iran, according to the country’s UN representative Amir Saeid Iravani.
Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf states hosting US military assets.
The war has also spread to Lebanon, where 684 people have been killed and over 800,000 been forced to flee their homes as a result of wide-scale and indiscriminate Israeli strikes.
As a result, thousands of Syrian refugees who fled to Lebanon during the 2011-2024 Syrian conflict are trying to flee Israeli strikes and return to their home country.
More than one million Syrians had sought refuge in Lebanon during the Syrian conflict, around 500,000 of whom remain.
Around 78,000 people – mainly Syrians – have fled Lebanon for Syria.
