Damascus, May 9 (RHC)-- Israel is reported to have carried out a missile strike on a military outpost south of the Syrian capital, Damascus.  Syria's state news agency SANA said two missiles were shot down in the Kiswah area on Tuesday night, and that two civilians were killed in the resulting explosions. 

Israel declined to comment, but the Israeli military placed its troops in the occupied Golan Heights on high alert and urged civilians to prepare bomb shelters.   

SANA reported that a man and his wife were killed by an explosion resulting from the interceptions as they drove along the Damascus-Deraa highway. 

Political observers say that Israel's reported pre-emptive strike on Syria last night underscores the deepening sense of crisis in the region.