Israeli missiles hit residential area in Syria.

Damascus, January 22 (RHC)-- Syrian air defenses have thwarted another Israeli aggression against the war-ravaged Arab country, and shot down a large number of “hostile” missiles in the skies over the western-central province of Hama.

Syria’s official news agency SANA, citing an unnamed military source, reported on Friday that “at about four o'clock in the morning, the Israeli enemy launched an aerial aggression with a barrage of missiles coming from the direction of the Lebanese city of Tripoli, aiming at some targets in the vicinity of Hama province.”  The source added, “Our air defenses confronted the enemy's missiles and downed most of them.”

A Syrian military source said four members of a family were killed in the Israeli airstrike.  Those killed were a mother, father and their two children.  The injured were two women and two other children, the report said.   The Syrian military source said the Israeli air raid destroyed several houses.

Syria’s air defenses have in the past intercepted many of the Israeli missiles fired from the occupied territories into the Arab country.

The incident comes days after the Israeli military carried out airstrikes on the eastern city of Dayr al-Zawr as well as the town of al-Bukamal, along the border with Iraq.

The Syrian government condemned new Israeli airstrikes on Syrian territory, calling on the United Nations Security Council to take immediate and decisive measures to prevent the repetition of such attacks.