Israel launched airstrikes on the vicinity of Syria's capital Damascus that left two soldiers wounded and "some material damage," Syrian state media reported early on Thursday citing a military official. Loud explosions were heard over the Syrian capital around 1:30 a.m., and the SANA state news agency said Syrian air defenses were “confronting hostile targets.” SANA, quoting an unidentifed military official, said some missiles were shot down by the air defenses. For several years, Israel has been mounting attacks on what it has described as Iranian-linked targets in Syria, where Tehran-backed forces, including Lebanon's Hezbollah, have established a presence since deploying to help President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian civil war that broke out in 2011. An Israeli airstrike last week targeting the airport at the northern city of Aleppo put it out of commission for two days. Along with airports, Israel has also targeted seaports in regime-held areas in an apparent attempt to prevent Iranian arms shipments to militant groups backed by Tehran, including Hezbollah.