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Israel Downs 2 Missiles From Syria Fired Amid Fight Between Gov't, Militants

The news comes after reports on Sunday of Israeli aviation carrying out air strikes on targets near the western Syrian city of Masyaf in the province of Hama.
Sputnik

Israel's David's Sling aerial defense system has intercepted two rockets that triggered warning sirens in the country’s north near the Syrian border. The Israeli Defense Forces have said that the missiles were fired from Syrian territory during a fight between the government’s forces and the armed opposition in the south of Syria. The IDF added that no casualties had been reported following the interception.

This comes shortly after Israeli TV aired a video of what was said to be an aerial interception. After the initial report, the IDF sounded sirens in several locations in northern Israel.

The development comes after Syrian state media reported on Sunday that Israel had targeted military sites in an air raid to "cover up for the collapse of terrorist organizations in Daraa and Quneitra." 

The tensions between the two countries have been running high recently. Last week, Syrian air defenses responded to an Israeli attack on the province of Quneitra in southwestern Syria after the IDF fired a Patriot anti-aircraft missile, shooting down a Syrian drone that had entered Israel's airspace.

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The conflict escalated when on July 16 Syrian government forces said they had captured a strategic hill near the Golan Heights in a push to eliminate the remaining militants operating in the area. The news put Israeli forces on high alert.

Israel has recently intensified strikes in Syria, citing the alleged Iranian military presence in the Arab Republic as a pretext for its attacks. Tehran and Damascus have repeatedly denied the claims, insisting that only Iranian military advisors are present in the country in order to help the legitimate authorities fight terrorism.

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