DAMASCUS, Syria: Israel launched a missile attack on suburbs of the Syrian capital Damascus late Tuesday and Syrian air defenses responded to the strikes, state television reported. State TV said Syrian air defense shot down some of the Israeli missiles before they hit their targets. It gave no further details or say which suburbs came under attack. They were the first attacks since Feb. 28, when Israeli missiles struck southern suburbs of Damascus. Israel has launched hundreds of strikes against Iran-linked military targets in Syria over the years but rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations. Israel views Iranian entrenchment on its northern frontier as a red line, and it has repeatedly struck Iran-linked facilities and weapons convoys destined for Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group.