|
JERUSALEM, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Israel's army confirmed that it intercepted one of several anti-aircraft missiles that were launched at its air force as it was bombing "targets" in Syria.
As a result, sirens were heard in Jewish settlements in the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank. The blasts were heard as far as Jerusalem, tens of kilometers away. No injuries or damage were reported.
A military spokesperson said in a statement that one anti-aircraft missile was intercepted by its Arrow anti-missile system.
"Overnight, IAF (Israel Air Force) aircrafts targeted several targets in Syria. Several anti-aircraft missiles were launched from Syria following the mission and IDF (Israel Defense Forces) Aerial Defense Systems intercepted one of the missiles," the statement read.
"At no point was the safety of Israeli civilians or the IAF aircraft compromised," the statement added.
The statement was a rare confirmation of Israel's airstrikes in Syria, where Israel bombs weapons shipments to Hezbollah, a Lebanese group linked to Iran that fights alongside the Syrian army.
Last Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin to ask him to prevent what he claimed to be an Iranian attempt to establish a permanent military force in Syria.
