Israel strikes Syria after rocket fire

The Israeli army said early Saturday that it was carrying out strikes in Syria after two rockets fired from the country fell into territory under its control.

"Following the report regarding sirens sounding in northern Israel, a short while ago two launches that were identified crossing from Syria fell in an open area," the army said.

"The IDF (military) is striking the sources of fire," it added.

The Israeli army confirmed to AFP that the projectiles fired were rockets, but did not say the precise location where they fell.

Israel considers the annexed Golan Heights to be part of its northern region.

An Israeli strike targeted the area around the Syrian capital of Damascus on Thursday, the Syrian defense ministry and state media said.

Israel rarely comments on individual strikes targeting Syria, but it has repeatedly said it will not allow arch-foe Iran, which backs President Bashar al-Assad's government, to expand its presence there.

Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on its northern neighbor since Syria's civil war began in 2011, primarily targeting Iran-backed forces including Lebanese Hezbollah fighters as well as Syrian army positions.

Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, the border between Lebanon and Israel has also seen frequent exchanges of fire between the Israeli army and Hezbollah as tensions rise across the Middle East.

Those exchanges have killed more than 150 people on the Lebanese side of the border, according to an AFP count -- most of them Hezbollah fighters, but also more than 20 civilians, including three journalists.

On the Israeli side, at least four civilians and nine soldiers have been killed, according to army figures.

The exchanges of fire have been largely limited to the border area, but Israel has warned it is ready to intensify its military action if Hezbollah fighters do not pull back.