Syria condemns escalation after overnight Israeli strikes on country's south

Israel hit southern Syria with a series of strikes overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, a rights NGO said, as Israel said it had targeted weapons belonging to Syrian authorities following the launch of projectiles.

"Violent explosions shook southern Syria, notably the town of Quneitra and the Daraa region, following Israeli aerial strikes" that caused no casualties, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, with Israel blaming the Damascus government for the two projectiles launched onto its territory from Syria.

Syria condemned the Israeli shelling, insisting that the government in Damascus was no "threat to anyone", the official Sana news agency said.

"We firmly condemn the Israeli bombardments... this escalation constitutes a blatant violation of Syrian sovereignty and aggravates tensions in the region," said the foreign affairs ministry's press office in a statement published by Sana, adding that "Syria has never been and will never be a threat to anyone in the region".

"We believe that numerous parties are trying to destabilize the region to serve their own interests," the statement said, denying responsibility for the projectiles launched into Israel.