Syrian air defences confront 'hostile target' near Damascus -state media

Syrian state media said on Saturday air defences had confronted a "hostile target" breaching the country's air space west of the capital Damascus in the early hours of the morning.

State news agency SANA, quoting its correspondent, said there were reports of "air defences confronting a hostile target breaching the skies above the area of Deir al-Asha'ir in the Damascus countryside."

The area is close to the Lebanese border.

Syrian air defences were activated in a similar way over west Damascus last Thursday night.

SANA suggested Israel was to blame for the incursions.

"In the past few weeks, the Israeli enemy has attacked military positions," it said.

Israel, concerned that Iran's growing presence in Syria poses a threat to its security, has struck dozens of Iranian and Iran-backed positions in Syria over the course of the country's seven-year conflict.

A spokeswoman for the Israeli military said it did not comment on foreign reports.

Damascus last month took back control of its entire border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and its southwest border with Jordan after an offensive which began in June. (Reporting by Lisa Barrington in Beirut and Ari Rabinovitch in Jerusalem; Editing by Chris Reese and Mark Potter)