Israeli airstrikes hit Syrian capital, triggering massive explosions

DAMASCUS, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) — Explosions were heard here as the Syrian air defenses responded to “hostile targets,” the country’s state media said on Tuesday.
Powerful explosions were heard in the capital, particularly in the city’s west, with people awakened by the blasts.
State media said the air defenses were intercepting an attack in the capital’s vicinity.
According to eyewitnesses and local media, explosions rocked the capital before daybreak Tuesday in what appeared to be an Israeli aerial attack.
The explosions were heard across the capital just as news was emerging about Israeli forces beginning a ground incursion into southern Lebanon. The sounds were heard in the western Mazzeh neighborhood, but the exact target was still unknown.
People posted footage of a fire in the western Mazzeh Villas neighborhood.
Emerging reports indicate casualties and property damage from the Israeli attack.
Footage shared on social media showed flames engulfing parts of the upscale western Mazzeh Villas neighborhood, where eyewitnesses reported seeing a passenger bus scorched on a road.
Syrian state TV also reported the death of a journalist, who was killed when shrapnel struck her home in the area. ■