Damascus, Feb 19 (IANS): Five people, including a soldier, were killed and 15 others wounded early Sunday by an Israeli missile attack on the Syrian capital Damascus, the Syrian army said in a statement.

The Israeli attack was launched from the occupied Golan Heights, targeting several military sites in Damascus, including the residential neighborhood of Kafar Sousah, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the statement.

It added that many of the wounded are in critical condition, and many residential homes in Damascus and its countryside were damaged.

The statement said that the air defences intercepted most missiles before reaching the targets.

Israel usually strikes military sites in Syria under the pretext of hitting Iranian weapon shipments meant for the Hezbollah group in Lebanon.

In its initial report, Syrian national TV said the Syrian air defenses responded to an Israeli attack at midnight Sunday in Damascus.

The fresh attack comes as Syria is still coping with the devastating earthquakes on Feb. 6 that struck the north of the country and killed thousands.