Syrian air defenses engaged a target that sought to strike positions of regime and pro-regime forces in the Deir al-Ashair region west of the capital Damascus, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Britain-based war monitor said Lebanese “Hezbollah” was present in the area. The target of the regime air defenses could not be not identified. Later on Saturday, the Sputnik Russian news agency quoted a Syrian field source as saying that an Israeli reconnaissance aircraft, which had flown from over Lebanese territory, was downed by the Syrian defenses over Deir al-Ashair. The defenses were activated in a similar way over west Damascus last Thursday night. Then too the Observatory, which relies on sources inside Syria for its information, said it was unable to determine who was responsible. State news agency SANA suggested Israel was to blame for the incursions. “In the past few weeks, the Israeli enemy has attacked military positions,” it said. Israel has carried out numerous raids in Syria in recent years, targeting regime, “Hezbollah” and Iranian forces. Last month, Syria accused Israel of bombing a military post in the northern province of Aleppo, where the Observatory reported at least nine pro-regime fighters died.