Damascus, Aug 20 : Israel launched missile strikes at some sites in the Syrian capital of Damascus and the central province of Homs. The Syrian air defences responded to the attacks late Thursday night, intercepting most of the Israeli missiles, Xinhua news agency quoted a military source as saying to local media. The Syrian authorities were assessing the damages caused by the strikes, the source added. The sounds of explosions were clearly heard in Damascus as the Syrian air defenses were responding to the attack. A Xinhua reporter in Damascus saw Syrian air defence missiles in the sky before loud explosions were heard. The Israeli attack was the second to hit Syria within two days, after a missile attack targeted military sites in the country's southwestern province of Quneitra on Tuesday. Israel has repeatedly launched attacks at Syrian military sites under the pretext of targeting the sites where pro-Iran militias are located. /IANS