SHOCK

Explosions Rock Military Base Near Syrian Capital

Syria’s state media has insisted the blasts were from an electrical failure at a military airport, not Israeli air strikes.

A series of powerful explosions rocked Damascus early Sunday, lighting up the sky and prompting panic among residents. State-run media initially reported that Israeli air strikes had struck the nearby Mezzeh military base with numerous missiles but later walked back that claim and said airstrikes were not the cause of the explosions. The Syrian Arab News Agency cited a military source as saying that “the sounds of explosions that were heard resulted from explosion of an ammunition depot near the airport because of electrical failure.” Damascus residents posted videos of the blasts on social media, with footage showing a fireball in the sky and several secondary explosions. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the explosions likely resulted from Israeli airstrikes and claimed death and injuries had been reported in the area, but there has been no confirmation of fatalities.