Syria Confirms Blasts at Ammunition Depot Near Damascus Caused by Short Circuit

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Over the past several years, Syria has repeatedly accused Israel of attacks on the Mezzeh military airport. According to Tel Aviv, Israel strikes the Iran-supplied Hezbollah arms depot at the Mezzeh facility to prevent the Lebanese movement from obtaining advanced weapons for terrorist aims.

"In fact, from what we understood from sources in the Syrian Defense Ministry, the cause of these explosions was a short-circuit due to overheating… These expositions were not the result of illegal Israeli aggression," Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem told the Russia-24 broadcaster on Sunday.

READ MORE: Two Israeli Reconnaissance Drones Shot Down Over Damascus — Syrian Military

Earlier in the day, a source in Syrian intelligence services told Sputnik that the outskirts of Damascus were subject to a missile attack. The Syrian air defense systems repelled the blows, he said, adding that Mezzeh military airfield near Damascus was not affected by the strike, but there were explosions at an ammunition depot near it as a result of the attack. The Times of Israel newspaper reported, citing sources, that the strikes had been conducted by Israeli aircraft.