Israel strikes Iranian 'military targets' in Syria

Syrian air defenses destroyed tens of Israeli missiles that were fired at Syrian positions before dawn on Thursday, but some of the missiles hit their targets, state TV reported.

The missiles targeted air defense battalions, radars, and arms depots, state TV said, providing no further details about the exact location of the targets.

Russia's Defense Ministry said on Thursday that 28 Israeli F-15 and F-16 aircraft took part, with around 70 missiles being fired.

A Russian deputy foreign minister called for "restraint on all sides" on Thursday, saying Moscow was "concerned" at the escalation.

"We have established contacts with all parties and we call for restraint from all parties," Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said.

The strikes came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to Israeli Defense Forces, its fighter jets struck "almost all" the dozens of Iranian military targets in response to a rocket attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

A UK-based watchdog group said the Israelis targeted positions near Damascus, central Syria and the southern province of Qunaitera.

The Dumair air base in the eastern part of the Qalamoun region north of Damascus is believed to have been hit, the group said, adding that Israeli missiles fell near a position where Iranian fighters are stationed.

The latest tension came a day after Israel targeted a Syrian military site in the Kisweh area southwest of Damascus, killing 15 fighters, including eight Iranians, according to activists.

Last month, Israel targeted two military sites in Syria where Iranian fighters were located, including the T-4 air base.

It's the second large-scale missile strike on Syria since April, when the United States and Western allies launched a series of missile strikes on military positions in retaliation for an alleged chemical weapons attack on a former rebel-held area east of Damascus.

But the confrontation on Thursday was long and more intense, reflecting the boiling tension between Israel and Iran and Syria on the other.

Israel has repeatedly said it will not tolerate an Iranian military presence inside Syria, and has targeted several positions where Iranian fighters were believed to be stationed.

The Thursday attack was the first major Israeli-Syrian confrontation since the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.

Xinhua AFP and AP contributed to this story.