Syrian anti-aircraft missile lands in Israel following IDF strike

Following an Israel Defense Forces airstrike near the central Syrian city of Homs early this morning, a Syrian air defense missile exploded over central Israel. 

The IDF Home Front acknowledged the explosion of the Syrian air defense missile explosion but did not comment on the Israel Air Force strike on Syria.

“A short while ago, an anti-aircraft rocket was launched from Syria into Israeli territory. The rocket appears to have exploded in the air,” according to a statement released early Sunday morning.

Some hours later, the IDF announced a retaliatory strike on the Syrian anti-aircraft battery responsible for launching the missile. In that announcement, it appeared to take responsibility for an earlier attack. 

“IDF fighter jets struck an anti-aircraft battery in Syria in response to the launch of an anti-aircraft rocket from Syria into Israeli territory earlier tonight,” the statement said. “In addition, the fighter jets struck additional targets in the area.” 

The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) released a statement early Sunday morning claiming that the Syrian Army air defense “repelled an Israeli act of aggression with missiles that targeted some sites in the vicinity of Homs city.” 

Multiple impacts reported in Homs, Syria pic.twitter.com/0prG1gD9ZW

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As is often the case with IDF airstrikes on Syria, the Israeli fighter planes apparently launched the air-to-ground missiles from over the Mediterranean Sea. The SANA report said the Israeli missiles were launched “from the direction of northeastern Beirut.” 

The Syrian air defense missile was likely a Russian-made S200, based on shrapnel from the missile which landed near Rahat in southern Israel, according to reports. 

Israel security forces picked up two large pieces of shrapnel, which appeared to be the nosecone and stabilizing fins of an S200 missile. 

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the Israeli airstrike targeted an ammunition warehouse “in the vicinity of Al-Nejmah village on the northeastern outskirts of Homs city.” 

The organization claimed that nine people were killed in the airstrike, most of them Iranian militia members, including a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). 

Contrary to the SANA news report, SOHR indicated that Israel targeted two locations, with both attacks successfully reaching their targets. 

SOHR reported that Israel has launched 19 documented attacks – 15 airstrikes and 4 rocket strikes – on military sites in Syrian this year. All the strikes were targeting locations used by Iranian-affiliated groups.