Syrian air defense systems have been activated in response to a missile attack apparently targeting Shayrat Airbase in Homs province, state media SANA reports., a military source told Sputnik. The Syrian air defenses managed to intercept some of the projectiles, according to a SANA reporter. Meanwhile, the Al Mayadeen news outlet is claiming that all the projectiles were intercepted and inflicted no physical damage or casualties at the targeted Syrian base.The Pentagon has denied initiating strikes or conducting any other military activity in Homs province.the Pentagon's spokesperson told Reuters. The same information was also shared with TASS news agency by Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon.The raid in Homs countryside reportedly coincided with another missile attack against a military airbase near Damascus. According to various Arabic media channels,, but they were. The outlet's reporter also published several videos allegedly showing the launch of interceptor missiles.While it remains unclear who launched the attack, the reported strike comes just days after Washington, London and Paris carried out a coordinated strike in Syria in the early hours of Saturday morning. It also comes roughly a week after two Israeli F-15 fighters targeted another Syria's airbase in Homs province, Tiyas (also known as T-4 Airbase). </s> Syrian forces have thwarted an attempted attack on the Shayrat air base in the Homs province that started early Tuesday morning. The Pentagon has denied responsibility for the attack but says that there are many players in the game. The attack came from Lebanese airspace leading many to believe that Israel could be the culprit. Israel, however, has refused to comment.

As reported by the Guardian

Syrian air defences have responded to a missile attack over Homs which targeted Shayrat air base late on Monday night, Syrian state television reported. It also reported that the missiles were shot down by the country’s air defences. State television showed pictures of a missile shot in the air above the air base. The Syrian state television report did not, however, specify who may have fired the missiles. The Pentagon said there was no US military activity in the area at the time. “There is no US military activity in that area at this time,” a Pentagon spokesman, Eric Pahon, said. “We do not have additional details to provide.”

Asked about the missile attack, an Israeli military spokesman said, “We don’t comment on such reports.” It seems that Western actors refuse to leave let peace return to Syria, and that missile attacks are not a thing of the past. Luckily, the forces of Syria were able to prevent any damage or casualties from this aggression.

Donate When you donate €20 or more, we'll send you our custom-made mug FREE! Your donations help us to continue exposing the lies of the co-oped media and keep the fight at their doorstep. Will you help expose the lies of the mainstream media? As a reader of The Duran, you are well aware of all the propaganda and disinformation reported by the mainstream media. You know how important it is to bring real news to light. Please support The Duran and help us keep reporting on news that is fair, balanced, and real. </s> Syrian military sources denied early Monday reports of an early morning missile attack targeting Shayrat air base and told the DPA news agency that the defense systems were activated, but that it turned out to be a false alarm.

To really understand Israel and the Middle East - subscribe to Haaretz

A commander in the regional military alliance that backs the Syrian government attributed the malfunction to "a joint electronic attack" by Israel and the United States targeting the Syrian radar system.

skip - The apparent air defense response to the missiles, according to "Damascus Now" on Facebook

Hezbollah's media initially also said six missiles were fired toward Shayrat and three missiles toward Dumair military airport near Damascus.

Meanwhile, SANA reported that the missiles targeting the air base were shot down by Syrian air defenses, and Hezbollah's media unit said all nine missiles were intercepted. Later that night, a false alarm was reported near Aleppo.

skip - Journalist close to Hezbollah

#Israel escalates and is looking for a wider confrontation the US failed to trigger & decided to avoid..for now...#Syria:



Israeli Jets - while violating the Lebanese airspace - fired 3 missiles on al-Damyr airport all downed and 6 on Shaayrat (Only 2 reached their objectives). — Elijah J. Magnier (@ejmalrai) April 17, 2018

Neither of the reports from SANA or Hezbollah specified who may have fired the missiles. Sky News said loud explosions were heard on the Syrian side of the Bekaa Valley, which borders Lebanon.

According to a journalist close to Hezbollah, Elijah J. Magnier, Israeli jets fired at least three missiles at the airport, "while violating Lebanese airspace."

Keep updated: Sign up to our newsletter Email * Please enter a valid email address Sign up Please wait… Thank you for signing up. We've got more newsletters we think you'll find interesting. Click here Oops. Something went wrong. Please try again later. Try again Thank you, The email address you have provided is already registered. Close

>> Nine takeaways from the U.S. Syria strike briefing, and an inconvenient truth for Israel | Chemi Shalev ■ Putin’s bluff is finally being called and Russia is running out of options in Syria | Anshel Pfeffer ■ Putin may limit Israel's operations in Syria in retaliation for U.S.-led strikes | Zvi Bar'el >>

Responding to the SANA report, a Pentagon spokesman said there "is no U.S. military activity in that area at this time," adding: "We do not have additional details to provide."

Shayrat air base was the target of American strikes last year in response to a chemical weapons attack on northern Syria attributed to Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime. Opposition forces say Dumair airport has been used in the military campaign to regain eastern Ghouta, a rebel enclave on the outskirts of Damascus that the Syrian army, backed by Russian air power, completely retook in the last few days after a relentless bombing offensive.

The reports come days after the United States, together with France and the United Kingdom, carried out precision airstrikes on targets in Syria. The strikes were in retalition for a nerve gas attack on the Syrian town of Douma last Saturday, which Western powers blamed on the Syrian government.

On Sunday, a senior Israeli military official admitted to The New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman that Israel attacked an Iranian target in Syria last week. “It was the first time we attacked live Iranian targets — both facilities and people,” the Israeli military official said of the strike, which targed an Iranian drone command center at T4 air base.

The official also noted that the armed Iranian drone that entered Israeli airspace in February "opened a new period," saying that "this is the first time we saw Iran do something against Israel — not by proxy."

DPA contributed to the report. </s> Syrian anti-aircraft batteries responded to a missile strike on the T4 military airbase in the central province of Homs, Syria's SANA news agency said Sunday, which accused Israel of carrying out the attack.

According to SANA, the anti-aircraft batteries shot down several missiles and hit one of the attacking planes, though the news agency did not provide further details. </s> DAMASCUS: Syrian state media on Tuesday (Apr 17) retracted reports of an overnight missile attack on the central province of Homs, saying a "false alarm" had activated its air defences.

"Last night, a false alarm that Syrian air space had been penetrated triggered the blowing of air defence sirens and the firing of several missiles," a military source told state news agency SANA.

"There was no external attack on Syria," the source added.

In the early hours of Tuesday, Syrian state media reported that air defence systems had shot down missiles over Homs province.

It branded the incident an "aggression" but did not name a specific country.

Big explosions were heard overnight near Shayrat air base, southeast of Homs city, and near Damascus where two other air bases are located, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

Syrian military positions in Homs province have been bombed twice in just over a week.

On Saturday, a volley of American, British, and French missiles slammed Syrian military positions in Homs province and around Damascus.

And on Apr 9, Syria accused Israel of striking the T-4 air base in Homs.

Both the US and Israel appeared to deny involvement in Monday night's incident.

An Israeli military spokesman said he was "not aware" of the incident and US defence spokeswoman Heather Babb said there were no American operations in the area. </s> AMMAN (Reuters) - A false alarm led to Syrian air defense missiles being fired overnight and no new attack on Syria took place, Syrian state media and a military commander said on Tuesday.

Syrian state TV reported overnight that anti-aircraft defenses had shot down missiles fired at an air base in the Homs area, and a media unit run by the Lebanese group Hezbollah said missiles had also targeted an air base near Damascus.

The incident underscored fears of a further escalation in the Syrian conflict after a U.S., British and French attack on Syrian targets on Saturday and an air strike on an air base the previous week that Damascus blamed on Israel.

Syrian state news agency SANA cited a military source as saying a number of air defense missiles had been fired but no foreign attack had taken place.

Separately, a commander in the regional military alliance backing the government attributed the malfunction to “a joint electronic attack” by Israel and the United States targeting the Syrian radar system.

The issue had been dealt with by Russian experts, said the commander, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.

State television had showed pictures of a missile it said was shot in the air above the air base.

A Pentagon spokesman said there was no U.S. military activity in that area at this time. Asked about reports of the missile attack, an Israeli military spokesman said: “We don’t comment on such reports.”

Saturday’s strikes by the U.S., Britain and France were in retaliation for a suspected chemical weapons attack by the Syrian military in eastern Ghouta. Both Damascus and its ally Russia have denied using any such weapons. </s> Syrian military air defenses shot down missiles targeting the T4 air base in Homs province in an act of “aggression” attributed to Israel, Syrian state media said citing a military source.

“Our air defense systems thwarted an Israeli aggression and brought down a number of missiles that were targeting the T4 airport,” it cited the military source as saying.

The air defenses hit one of the “attacking planes and forced the rest to leave” Syria’s air space, it added

Damascus, as well as its allies Iran and Russia, blamed Israel for an April 9 air strike on the same Homs base, an attack that killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) members. Tehran vowed at the time to respond.

Israel has grown deeply alarmed by the expanding clout of its arch enemy Iran during the seven-year war in neighboring Syria. Israel’s air force has struck scores of targets it described as Iranian deployments or arms transfers to Iran-backed Hezbollah.

An army officer in the southern Syrian desert said the defense system brought down missiles coming from south of the Tanf region towards the Homs air base.

U.S. Central Command spokesman Captain Bill Urban said that neither U.S. nor coalition forces carried out strikes in that area. </s> AMMAN (REUTERS) - A false alarm led to Syrian air defence missiles being fired overnight and no new attack on Syria took place, Syrian state media and a military commander said on Tuesday (April 17).

Syrian state TV reported overnight that anti-aircraft defences had shot down missiles fired at an air base in the Homs area, and a media unit run by the Lebanese group Hezbollah said missiles had also targeted an air base near Damascus.

The incident underscored fears of a further escalation in the Syrian conflict after a US, British and French attack on Syrian targets last Saturday and an air strike on an air base the previous week that Damascus blamed on Israel.

Syrian state news agency SANA cited a military source as saying a number of air defence missiles had been fired but no foreign attack had taken place.

Separately, a commander in the regional military alliance backing the government attributed the malfunction to "a joint electronic attack" by Israel and the United States targeting the Syrian radar system.

The issue had been dealt with by Russian experts, said the commander, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.

State television had showed pictures of a missile it said was shot in the air above the air base.

A Pentagon spokesman said there was no US military activity in that area at this time.

Asked about reports of the missile attack, an Israeli military spokesman said: "We don't comment on such reports."

Saturday's strikes by the US, Britain and France were in retaliation for a suspected chemical weapons attack by the Syrian military in eastern Ghouta. Both Damascus and its ally Russia have denied using any such weapons. </s> BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian military air defenses thwarted an act of “aggression” that targeted the T4 air base in Homs province on Sunday night, state media said.

The origin and nature of the attack was not immediately clear.

An army officer in the southern Syrian desert said the air defense system shot down missiles coming from south of the Tanf region towards the Homs air base. </s> Following Sundays chemical weapon attack in Douma that was blamed on the Syrian government, Israel launched missiles at a Syrian airbase according to the Russian MoD.



The Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday that two Israeli F-15 fighters targeted Syria’s T-4 airbase in the Homs province.

The jets fired eight guided missiles, but five of them were shot down before they hit the airfield.

The missiles crossed Lebanese air space to reach their intended target. Activists ssay that at least 14 people were killed in the strike, including Iranians.

RT reports: In a statement on Monday, the Russian military said: “Two Israeli Air Force F-15 jets fired eight guided missiles at the T-4 airfield.” The Israeli aircraft did not enter Syrian airspace and launched the strikes while flying over Lebanon.

Syrian air defense units have shot down five guided missiles,” the military said, but confirmed that three of the missiles “reached the western part of the airfield.”

The Israeli embassy in Moscow refused to comment on the Russian Defense Ministry’s report, Alex Gandler, the diplomatic mission’s press attache, told Sputnik. Asked about the Russian military’s statement, an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman said he had no immediate comment, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Citing its own correspondent, Lebanon’s Al-Mayadeen channel said earlier on Monday that an Israeli reconnaissance aircraft was airborne during the attack on the Syrian base. The missiles crossed Lebanese airspace over Keserwan and Bekaa, heading towards Syria, according to the broadcaster.

The missile attack took place on Sunday night in Syria’s Homs governorate. State news agency SANA reported there were several “martyrs and wounded,” but did not disclose the exact number of casualties. The report also said that the US was “probably” behind the attack, although Washington denied any complicity in the strike.

“At this time, the Department of Defense is not conducting airstrikes in Syria,” the Pentagon told Reuters in a statement. “However, we continue to closely watch the situation and support the ongoing diplomatic efforts to hold those who use chemical weapons, in Syria and otherwise, accountable.”

France, which was also suspected of being involved in the attack, denied any responsibility for the military strike, AFP reported on Monday.

The strike on the T-4 base came shortly after Western powers accused the Syrian government of orchestrating an alleged a chlorine attack in the militant-held town of Douma. The chemical incident was reported by the White Helmets, a controversial group repeatedly accused of having ties to terrorists.

Commenting on the unconfirmed gas attack, US President Donald Trump denounced the “mindless” atrocity, which he described as a “humanitarian disaster for no reason whatsoever.” He also accused Russia and Iran of bearing responsibility for the incident, due to their support for Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Washington and Paris have already held telephone talks, during which Trump and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron decided to oppose Russia at the upcoming United Nations Security Council meeting, which is being convened to discuss the Douma incident. President Macron previously signaled that Paris might consider unilateral actions, including a military strike, if chemical weapons were ever used in Syria again.

The Russian Foreign Ministry denounced allegations regarding the chemical attack, calling them a “continuous series of fake news” and “baseless speculation.” It noted that Moscow had already warned about a false-flag chemical attack being prepared in recent months. Damascus also rejected the accusations, with the Syrian Foreign Ministry pointing out that similar allegations emerge every time the Syrian Army makes advances in its fight against terrorists.
Syrian state media SANA reports that the Syrian Air Defense Force has intercepted several missiles fired at Shayrat Airbase in the Homs Governorate. The U.S. denies any involvement.