国际英语新闻:Syria confirms Israel behind overnight missile attack

DAMASCUS, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian Foreign Ministry confirmed on Friday that Israel was behind the strikes that targeted Syrian sites south of the capital Damascus a day earlier, state news agency SANA reported.

The attack against Syrian sites in the town of Kisweh south of Damascus was carried out by Israel, the ministry said.

On Thursday evening, Syria's national TV said the Syrian air defense missiles responded to a contentious missile strike, noting that all enemy targets were destroyed and that the foreign attack did not achieve its intended goal.

However, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor based in London, said a missile hit a weapon depot believed to contain weapons for the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in the second wave of attack, after the 45-minute first-round attack failed.

Another missile hit a military base, with no reported losses, the watchdog added.

It is the first Israeli hit since September when it attacked military sites in Syria, causing the Syrian air defenses to mistakenly hit a Russian surveillance aircraft.

After the September attack, during which Russian servicemen were killed by friendly fire, Moscow was quick to equip Damascus with the S-300 air defense missile system.

Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad told Xinhua in September that the arrival of Russia's S-300 to Syria would push Israel to reconsider before striking Syria again.

In its statement Friday, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said the Israeli attack on Thursday evening and the U.S.-led attack that killed 30 civilians in eastern Syria on Friday are part of the aggression circle against Syria.

The Israeli attack is another sign of the Israeli support to the terrorist groups in Syria, said the ministry, adding that Israel wants to prolong the Syrian crisis.