A Syrian flag flutters in Damascus, Syria April 20, 2018. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho

A Syrian military statement said that Israel launched an attack on targets in the vicinity of Damascus on Tuesday but air defenses managed to shoot down a number of missiles.

“At exactly 22:35 pm today, the Israeli enemy carried out an aggression from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan against some targets in the vicinity of Damascus. Our air defenses intercepted the aggression’s missiles and downed most of them. Losses were limited to materials,” the Syrian defense ministry said on Twitter.

“Syrian air defenses are responding to an Israeli aggression in the southern region”, state news agency SANA said.

The explosions heard in the vicinity of Damascus were the sounds of air defenses responding in the southern region, Syrian state-owned Ekhbariya TV said.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said on Tuesday “we don’t comment on foreign reports.”