Israeli drone strikes on a southern suburb of the Syrian capital Damascus killed eight soldiers and wounded others, officials and a war monitor reported Wednesday. Syria's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that drone strikes Tuesday in the southern Damascus suburb of Kiswah killed eight soldiers. It called the attack 'a grave violation of international law' and 'clear breach of (Syria's) sovereignty and territorial integrity.'

'It also comes in the context of the repeated aggressive policies pursued by the Israeli occupation aimed at undermining security and stability in the region,' the statement said. The Israeli military did not comment on the strikes. Late Wednesday evening, Syrian state news agency SANA reported more Israeli strikes and an airdrop commando raid in the area, 'the details of which are not known.'

SANA reported that the initial strikes on Tuesday had targeted soldiers who, while on patrol, discovered 'surveillance and eavesdropping devices." Ongoing strikes prevented other troops from reaching the area until the following evening. Other soldiers were able to retrieve the bodies of those killed the day before and to 'destroy some of the (surveillance) systems by targeting them with the appropriate weapons,' it said.