Israel strikes military sites in Syria

JERUSALEM:  The Israeli army confirmed it carried out strikes on Syrian and Iranian  targets near Damascus on Wednesday.

The Israel Defense Forces, who blamed Tuesday´s rockets on "an Iranian force", said it holds Damascus responsible for attacks launched from Syria into its territory.

Syria´s state media earlier said Syrian anti-aircraft defences intercepted a "heavy attack" by Israeli warplanes over the capital in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Israel has carried out frequent air and missile strikes against Iranian targets inside Syria since the country descended into civil war in 2011, but rarely comments on them.

"We just carried out wide-scale strikes of Iranian Quds Force & Syrian Armed Forces targets in Syria in response to the rockets fired at Israel by an Iranian force in Syria last night," the Israel Defense Forces tweeted.

During the attack the Syrian government´s defence missile was fired "despite clear warnings to refrain from such fire", it added. As a result, a number of Syrian aerial defense batteries were destroyed.

"We hold the Syrian regime responsible for the actions that take place in Syrian territory and warn them against allowing further attacks against Israel," the army said.

"We will continue operating firmly and for as long as necessary against the Iranian entrenchment in Syria."