Syrian state media said a military airport near Homs had come under missile attack, which was repelled by its air defense systems, on Thursday.
"One of our military airports in the central region was exposed to hostile missile aggression, and our air defense systems confronted the attack and prevented it from achieving its aim," state news agency SANA said.
Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, tweeted that there were reports of "possible #Israel airstrikes underway targeting the Al-Dhaba'a Airbase near Al-Qusayr in #Homs, #Syria."
Al-Qusayr is an Iranian Revolutionary Guard and Hezbollah stronghold, Lister tweeted.
"Some local users said #Israel strikes," Joyce Karam, a reporter at The National, also tweeted.
SANA earlier reported sounds of explosions heard near the Dabaa airport near the city of Homs.
A senior Israeli Air Force officer has said that his country's military aircraft will continue to operate in Syrian airspace for as long as is deemed necessary.
"We're not doing this because we're aggressive, but because we constantly have to be actively defending the state of Israel," the senior officer said, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity on Wednesday.
"This is the only thing preventing offensive measures by Iran," he added.
The officer also warned Syria not to use its air defenses against Israeli warplanes. "All batteries that fire on Israeli aircraft will be destroyed. All batteries that do not fire on us will not be destroyed," he said, noting that "this policy will continue."
On Tuesday, the commander of the Israeli Air Force declared that Israel had become the first country in the world to use its US-made F-35 fifth-gen stealth fighter in combat. "We are flying the F-35 all over the Middle East and have already attacked twice on two different fronts," Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin was quoted as saying by Israeli media.
Syrian-Israeli relations were brought to a boiling point earlier this month after the Israeli Air Force hit what it said were Iranian targets in Syria, following an alleged rocket attack against Israeli military positions in the occupied Golan Heights. Earlier this year, Israeli jets repeatedly struck Syria's T-4 air base, which Tel Aviv claimed contained "Iranian bases in Syria."
On Wednesday, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mikdad told Sputnik that the possibility of withdrawing Iranian military advisers and Hezbollah militia was "not even on the agenda of discussion, since it concerns the sovereignty of Syria."
The Israeli Air Force has regularly violated Syrian airspace throughout the course of the Syrian civil war. Damascus has called these incursions acts of aggression and vowed to continue to "repel any aggression against Syria, regardless where it will take place."
Air strikes are taking place in Syria just minutes after Israeli war planes were spotted over Beirut, Lebanon. It appears Israel is attacking again. . . LIVE UPDATES COMPLETED. SEE BELOW . . . .
Syria that air defenses are firing in multiple locations.
Ongoing Israeli airstrike, the Syrian air defense is responding, several missiles targeted Israeli warplanes over Lebanon.
SYRIAN AIR DEFENSE MISSILES FIRING AT ISRAELI AIRCRAFT IN LEBANESE AIRSPACE
REPORTS OF EXPLOSIONS ACROSS HOMS, SYRIA
Air defense in Homs is now firing
A ton of air defense activations now and some really big explosions on the ground are confirmed. They are hitting something hard.
Multiple airstrikes now underway.
Initial reports are that Hezbollah and Iranian republican guard sites are getting hit hard in multiple locations.
Explosions heard at Al-Dabaa military airbase
The Al Daba airbase, jointly operated by Iran and Hezbollah
Sirens in Israel!!
"The Turkish prime minister (is) calling for an extraordinary Summit of Nations, Islamic Nations, to unite against Israel, and included in the summit is Russia, Iran, Turkey, & Sudan among others."
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