We carried out strikes on Iran's Quds Force, Syrian targets: Israel army

After Syria's state news agency reported the country's air defences destroyed missiles fired from Israel, the Israeli army confirmed it was aimed at Syrian and Iranian "terror targets" near Damascus on Wednesday morning.

"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 our strike of Iranian & Syrian terror targets, a Syrian air defence missile was fired despite clear warnings to refrain from such fire. As a result, a number of Syrian aerial defence batteries were destroyed," it said in its tweet, adding, "We hold the Syrian regime responsible for the actions that take place in Syrian territory and warn them against allowing further attacks against Israel."

"We will continue operating firmly and for as long as necessary against the Iranian entrenchment in Syria," Israel's Army added.

Israel's military had said on Tuesday its missile defence system had shot down four rockets fired from Syria.

"Four launches were identified from Syria towards Israeli territory which were intercepted by the Israeli air defence systems," the army had said. "No hits on Israeli communities were identified."

The Israeli strikes come as tensions have increased after in Gaza after the Israeli defence force killed an  Islamic Jihad leader a fortnight ago. The Islamic Jihad fired several hundred rockets at Israel as Netayanhu's government retaliated with airstrikes and missiles aimed at Gaza militants.