Syria says four soldiers killed in Israeli strike in Damascus

Four Syrian soldiers have been killed and another four wounded in an overnight Israeli missile attack, Syria's state media say.

Sana news agency is quoting a military source as saying the strike near the capital Damascus also caused some material damage.

Some of the Israeli missiles were shot down, the source claims.

Israel has so far made no comments. It frequently targets military sites in Syria linked to Iran-backed militants.

AFP news agency says its correspondent in Damascus reported hearing the sound of explosions.

Footage has also emerged on social media purportedly showing bright flashes in the sky in the vicinity of Damascus.

In February, Syria accused Israel of killing four civilians and a soldier in missile strikes on Damascus.

Israel's military rarely acknowledges specific strikes on targets in Syria, where Iran's influence has grown in recent years.

Israel and Iran are bitter foes and in recent years have been engaged in what has been described as a "shadow war" of unclaimed attacks on each other's assets, infrastructure and nationals.