German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin pose for photographers at the chancellery in Berlin on September 7, 2017. (AFP Photo)

JERUSALEM, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Israel's President Reuven Rivlin warned Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel Thursday that Iranian attempts to create a Shiite foothold in Syria "will force Israel to react," his office said.

The remark came hours after Israeli fighter jets reportedly bombed the al-Talai Scientific Studies and Research Center, killing two soldiers, according to the Syrian army.

During their meeting in Berlin, Rivlin told Merkel that Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Lebanese militia, is building "weapons infrastructure" that "will force Israel to react," according to a statement released by the official President's Residence in Jerusalem.

Rivlin urged Merkel to acknowledge that Hezbollah "endangers local population and persistently violates UN Security Council resolutions."

The two leaders also talked about the need to bring the close ties between the two countries even closer, according to the statement.

Rivlin thanked Merkel for Germany's long-time support in Israel's security.

According to Israel's former national security adviser, Maj.-Gen (ret.) Yaakov Amidror, the strike on the military facility near Masyafthe followed a visit by Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah to Damascus last week.

Amidror told journalists on Thursday that there was a "strong probability" that the strike had been launched because of fears that Nasrallah asked Damascus to use the facility, where Western powers suspect chemical weapons are being manufactured.

Israel has long warned that the weapons from Iran and Syria reach to the hands of Hezbollah, Israel's arch enemy.

Iran rejects the allegations.

Israel had repeatedly declared it would not intervene in the six-year-long fighting in Syria.

However, it is widely believed that Israel often carried out airstrikes on convoys and arsenals in Syria which were allegedly directed to Hezbollah.