Syria-Israel’s cross-border tensions rise after Israeli attack

Syrian air defences opened fire on Israeli aircraft after they violated Syrian airspace overnight Thursday, a Syrian military spokesman said, in a new development in cross-border tensions that have brewed for months.

The Israelis flew east from the Mediterranean Sea over the northern part of the country, broke the sound barrier and “dropped ammunition” over deserted areas of Syria overnight, the spokesman was quoted as saying by the official Syrian Arab News Agency.

“Air defence units confronted them and forced them to leave after they dropped some ammunition in deserted areas without causing any human or material damage,” the spokesman said.

Syrian Cabinet Minister Buthaina Shaaban, speaking on Al-Jazeera television's English service, would not confirm that Israel had attacked Syria, but did say the aircraft violated the country's airspace.

Israeli counterterrorism expert Boaz Ganor said that if Thursday's overflight occurred, it's possible Israel was “collecting intelligence on long-range missiles” deployed by Syria in the north, at a time when tension is running high between the two countries.