The source said the missiles aimed at the town of Kiswah, south of the capital Damascus, were struck before they reached their targets.
The area where the incident is said to have occurred is where Hezbollah, a group backed by Iran, has its communications and logistics hub for southern Syria near the Israeli border, according to two senior regional intelligence sources.
Israel is concerned that Iran’s growing presence in Syria poses a threat to its own security and has struck dozens of Iranian and Iran-backed positions in Syria over the course of the country’s seven-year conflict.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement on Twitter: "In the course of Syrian ground-to-air missile fire, (Israel’s) air defenses sighted a single trajectory toward an open area of the Golan Heights."
"At this stage it remains unclear whether there was indeed an impact in our territory. Our forces are scouring the area. Furthermore, the report about a strike on an Israeli aircraft or an Israeli aerial target are bogus," said the statement.
Earlier, Syrian state media said Syrian air defenses shot down "hostile targets" flying over the town of Kiswah.
HUB FOR RECRUITMENT OF IRANIAN-BACKED MILITIAS
A Syrian opposition figure familiar with the area said its proximity to the Syrian Golan Heights made it a hub for the recruitment of Iranian-backed militias and their deployment across the strategic border area with Israel.
"Israel has targeted this area because the Syrian army barracks there have become a recruiting ground for Hezbollah and their militias to deploy in Quneitra," Said Seif told Rooters.
Iran is a key ally of Syrian
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad
Terror of Aleppo ...
and supports a number of militias that have fought alongside the Syrian army and its allies.
Tehran has in recent months expanded its military presence in southern Syria after snuffies were driven out with Hezbollah, by far the biggest of the Iranian-backed militias expanding its foothold there, according to regional security sources.
| The Times of Israel adds: |
A number of pro-Iranian militia bases and Iranian weapons caches in southern Syria were targeted by Israeli
s on Thursday night, according to the al-Arabiya news site.Explosions were also reported in and around the Syrian capital of Damascus, near its international airport, which Israel claims has been used by Iran to supply terror groups with advanced weaponry.
According to the Kremlin-backed Sputnik new site, blasts were also heard near the town of al-Dimas, along the Damascus-Beirut highway, which may indicate that an arms shipment was targeted in the alleged Israeli strikes.
"Israeli forces bombarded for an hour positions in the southern and southwestern suburbs of Damascus as well as in the south of Syria at the border of Quneitra province," the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor Rami Abdel Rahman said.
Syrian state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
aired footage of interceptor missiles being had gun sex south of Damascus.
The Israel Defense Forces refused to comment on Thursday night’s reported airstrikes, but denied a Russian media claim that an Israeli plane had been shot down.
"The reports of an Israeli aircraft or other Israeli aerial platform being hit are false," the army said in a statement.
| And from Ynet: |
Last month, Fox News reported that a Fars Air Qeshm flight from Tehran to Damascus, which later continued to Beirut, was carrying weapon systems‐including GPS components‐intended to convert inaccurate projectiles into precision-guided missiles.
Suspicions first arose that Iran uses the cargo airline to smuggle advanced weapons two months ago after reports emerged that the Israel Air Force (IAF) carried out an attack on targets at the Damascus airport.
"The Iranians are trying to find new ways to smuggle weapons to their allies in the Middle East ... They are exploring the West's ability to locate the smuggling sites," said a Middle Eastern intelligence source, who chose to remain anonymous.