Israel carries out air strikes in central Syria

DAMASCUS - Syrian air defence responded to Israeli missiles targeting the south and centre of the country, state media said early Thursday.

"Our air defence confronted an Israeli missile attack in the southwest of Quneitra province" in the south and also in a central region, SANA news agency said.

SANA claimed the Israeli warplanes launched the missiles while flying over Lebanon's airspace, and said all were shot down by Syrian air defenses before reaching their targets.

SANA quoted a military source saying that at 12.30 am on Thursday (2230 GMT Wednesday) "our air defence observed Israeli warplane movement... Several missiles were fired towards the central region.

"The hostile missiles were immediately dealt with, and were successfully confronted, none was able to reach its target."

The short statement released after midnight did not provide details on the targets. Quneitra province is near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, which is recognised internationally as Syrian territory.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes targeted the Shayrat and Dabaa air bases in the central province of Homs, and two areas in Quneitra province where pro-Damascus allies of Lebanese group Hezbollah are present. The Britain-based war monitor said there were no immediate reports of a death or any material damage.

Since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria, mainly targeting government troops as well as allied Iranian forces and fighters from Hezbollah. It is rare for Israel to claim such strikes directly.

Last week, an Israeli drone fired a missile at a car in southern Syria, killing one person. The Observatory at the time said that the man targeted was an anti-Israel operative.

In recent years, Israel has repeatedly carried out airstrikes in Syria against targets belonging to Iran and its regional proxies. One airstrike last month killed two members of the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, which is backed by Iran.

In mid-February, Israeli strikes on Damascus airport killed seven Syrian and Iranian fighters, according to the Observatory.