Israel says strikes Iranian sites in Syria to "foil attack"

Israel's army said on Saturday that its air force has struck Iranian sites in Syria to foil an Iranian drone attack on Israel.

A graduation ceremony for Israeli air force pilots at the Hatzerim air base in southern Israel June 27, 2019. [File photo: IC/Ilan Assayag/Sipa USA]

"Jets recently targeted a number of terror targets in Aqraba, Syria, southeast of Damascus," the Israeli military said in a statement, without elaborating on the specific date.

According to the army, the strikes targeted Iranian Quds Force operatives and Shiite militias which were advancing over the past few days with plans to attack Israeli sites from within Syria.

The plans included launching several armed drones to strike sites in Israel.

"The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is prepared to continue defending the State of Israel against any attempts to harm it and holds Iran and the Syrian regime directly responsible for the thwarted attack," the army warned.

Local Israeli media reported that following the strikes, Iron Dome anti-missile systems were deployed in northern Israel, for fear of Iranian or Syrian retaliation.

Israel considers Iran its arch-foe and has carried out hundreds of deadly airstrikes in Syria, charging the attacks target Iranian sites and weapons convoys to Hezbollah.