An anti-aircraft missile launched from Syria exploded over Israeli airspace in the pre-dawn hours of Sunday, causing shrapnel to fall in the southern city of Rahat, as the Israeli Air Force allegedly carried out strikes near the Syrian city of Homs.
Syria’s state news agency, SANA, said the IAF had targeted a number of sites near Homs in the strike, causing unspecified “material losses.”
SANA said Syrian air defenses responded to the “Israeli aggression” on Homs. Syria regularly claims to intercept missiles launched by Israeli warplanes, though military analysts doubt such assertions.
The Syrian news agency did not report any injuries.
Amid the strike, residents of central and southern Israel reported hearing a large blast.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that the launch of an anti-aircraft missile from Syria toward Israel was identified. “The missile likely exploded mid-air,” the IDF said.
Shrapnel of what appeared to be parts of a surface-to-air missile from a Russian-made S-200 system landed in the southern city of Rahat, footage showed.
The nose of the missile crashed into the side of a building, causing slight damage, and the tail landed in an open field near the city. Firefighters and police forces were called to the scene.
Rahat is located some 230 kilometers (142 miles) from Israel’s border with Syria, and 415km (257 miles) from Homs.
The IDF said there were no special instructions for civilians following the incident.
No sirens sounded in Israel after the Syrian missile entered Israeli airspace.
Though uncommon, Syrian surface-to-air missiles fired at Israeli fighter jets have in the past caused damage and triggered sirens in Israel as they fell back into airspace.
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