Syrian air defences respond to ‘Israeli aggression’ targeting port city – state media

Syrian air defences were activated after the country’s principal port city of Latakia came under a missile attack, which sparked a major fire resulting in significant damage to the port, Syria’s state media reported.

The attack took place around 3:21 a.m local time [01:21 GMT] on Tuesday, with rockets being launched from the “depth of the Mediterranean”, SANA’s news agency reported.

Footage posted online shows a series of blasts rocking what appears to be the port. 

Flames can be seen engulfing the port and lighting up the night skies in another clip from the scene. 

The port has reportedly sustained “great” material damage in the strike. “A number of containers” were burned down as the result of the attack, SANA reported.

There have been no reports of casualties.

READ MORE: ‘Israeli airstrikes’ target Syrian port – state media

The airstrike comes exactly three weeks after the port was subject to a similar attack, which Damascus also blamed on Tel Aviv. At that time, several missiles hit the port in an overnight raid, igniting fire in the container area.

The raid comes as tensions flare up between Damascus and Tel Aviv. Earlier on Monday, the Syrian government accused Israel of “unprecedented escalation” after the Israeli government gave the green light to the $317 million settlement plan in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Under the plan, the number of Jewish settlers in the area is set to double over the next five years. Damascus, which condemned the planned expansion as a “blatant violation” of international law, sees the Golan Heights as part of its sovereign territory under the UN Security Council resolutions.

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