Syria says Israeli strikes kill one soldier, wound seven

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — Members of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent stand near the wreckage of a car after what the Syrian state television said was a "guided missile attack" on the car in the Mazzeh area of Damascus, Syria October 21, 2024. REUTERS/Firas Makdesi

(Reuters) -Israeli strikes on the Syrian capital Damascus and a military site near the western city of Homs early on Thursday killed one soldier and injured seven, the Syrian defence ministry said.

The attacks targeted the central Damascus neighbourhood of Kafr Sousa and a military site in the Homs countryside, the ministry said in a statement, adding the strikes caused "material damage" without elaborating.

Earlier in the day, Syrian state media said explosions were heard in Damascus after Israel struck a residential building in Kafr Sousa.

Israel typically does not comment on specific reports of strikes in Syria.

Israel has been carrying out strikes against Iranian-linked targets in Syria for years, but it has ramped up raids since last year's Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Palestinian militant group Hamas.

(Reporting by Hatem Maher; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Michael Perry)