Iran to help boost Syria’s air defenses to repel Israeli strikes:

A senior Iranian defense said Tuesday that the Islamic Republic considers itself “obliged” to help reinforce Syria’s air defense capabilities in repelling Israeli attacks on the Arab country.

Brigadier General Hamzeh Qalandari, deputy defense minister for international affairs, made the remarks on the sidelines of a ceremony to mark the International Mine Awareness Day and Assistance in Mine Action in the capital, Tehran.

The official reaffirmed Tehran’s commitment to the security of friendly countries.

“We find ourselves committed to help friendly countries, like Syria, improve their air defenses and fend off aerial attacks,” he said, as he talked about the export of defense products at the event.

The deputy defense minister further noted that Syria used to be a “defenseless” country in the face of Israeli aerial attacks in the past, but now Damascus is repelling a large number of air strikes carried out by the occupying Israeli regime.

Elsewhere in his remarks, General Qalandari stated that Iran has assisted many of its neighbors and friendly countries “not only in terms of equipment and arms, but also in the field of technology of manufacturing military equipment.”

He also highlighted the growing interest in the purchase of Iranian military and defense equipment, saying “After the removal of a UN arms embargo against Iran in 2020, we are witnessing many countries that seek to employ Iranian weapons."

The Israeli regime frequently violates Syrian sovereignty by targeting military positions inside the country, especially those of the resistance movement Hezbollah, which has played a key role in helping the Syrian army in its fight against foreign-backed terrorists.

Syria's official SANA news agency quoted an unnamed military source as saying that the Israeli regime had launched a fresh missile strike against Syria, this time targeting positions in the vicinity of the country's capital city of Damascus.

The new missile attack was carried out early Tuesday from the direction of the occupied Golan Heights, and in addition to Damascus, hit some other areas in the southern part of the country.

The military source added that the country's air defenses intercepted Israeli missiles, shooting down most of them. The attack, however, left two civilians dead and caused some material damage.

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