IDF strikes Syria after air defense missile explodes over southern Israel
Shrapnel from the missile fell in Rahat, southern Israel • Strikes come two weeks after last reported airstrikes in Syria
The IDF struck a Syrian air defense battery after a Syrian air defense missile exploded mid-air over southern Israel on Saturday night, according to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit. Additional targets in the area were hit as well.
The explosion on Saturday night came amid reports of alleged Israeli airstrikes in the Homs Governorate in central Syria.
No special directives have been issued for the home front and no rocket sirens were activated by the missile. Shrapnel from the missile landed in Rahat in southern Israel, over 180 km (111 miles) from the closest border with Syria and over 400 km (240 miles) from Homs. The air defense missile was identified as an S200 surface-to-air missile.
Syrian state media reported on Saturday night that Syrian air defenses were activated in the Homs Governorate in response to alleged Israeli airstrikes in the area. The Syrian state news agency SANA reported that no injuries were caused in the strikes.
Israel's strikes come two weeks after the last reported airstrikes in Syria
The last alleged Israeli airstrike to target sites in Syria was reported on June 14, when a Syrian soldier was seriously injured in strikes targeting Damascus, according to the Syrian state news agency SANA.
The Capital Voice news site reported at the time that explosions were heard in the area of the headquarters of the Syrian Army's 1st Division in al-Kiswah, south of Damascus, which is used by Iranian and Iran-backed forces as well. A fire broke out at the headquarters amid the strikes, according to the report.
Syrian air defense missiles have overshot and flown into Israeli airspace in the past.
In February 2022, rocket sirens sounded in and near Umm el-Fahm in northern Israel, after an anti-aircraft missile fired from Syria exploded mid-air.
In September 2021, a Syrian surface-to-air missile (SAM) was launched toward Israel and detonated over the Mediterranean Sea. Some of the shrapnel from the missile was found later in northern Tel Aviv.
This is a developing story.
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