Israeli strikes near Damascus wound two soldiers, says Defence Ministry

A building damaged in Israeli missile strikes near Damascus in Syria. AFP

Two soldiers were wounded in an Israeli missile attack near the Syrian capital Damascus, Syria's Defence Ministry has said.

"At around 1.20am, the Israeli enemy carried out an aerial aggression from the direction of the occupied Golan Heights targeting several positions in the vicinity of Damascus," Syria's state news outlet Sana reported.

The attack "injured two soldiers and caused some material losses", it said.

Syria's air defence intercepted several missiles, the ministry said.

Explosions were heard in the Syrian capital early on Thursday morning, AFP reported.

During more than a decade of war in Syria, Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on Syrian territory, primarily targeting Iran-backed forces and Hezbollah fighters, as well as Syrian army positions.

While Israel rarely comments on the strikes it carries out on Syria, it has repeatedly said it will not allow Iran to extend a footprint there.

Last week, an Israeli missile strike destroyed a suspected arms depot used by Iran-backed militias at Syria's Aleppo airport, a war monitor said.

On March 7, three people were killed in an Israeli strike on the airport that was put out of service. It reopened three days later.

The Syrian war broke out in 2011 with the brutal repression of peaceful anti-government protests, and escalated to a deadly armed conflict that pulled in foreign powers and global jihadists.

About half a million people have been killed, and around half of Syria's pre-war population were forced from their homes.