Israeli soldier stands next to signs on Mount Bental observation post in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (Reuters)
Iran on Friday said Syria had the right to defended itself against aggression from Israel and accused others of remaining silent over the attacks on Tehran's key regional ally, in a statement that continued its insistance it had no role in an attack on Israeli forces in the Golan Heights.
"Iran strongly condemns …(Israel's) attacks on Syria. The international community's silence encourages Israel's aggression. Syria has every right to defend itself," state TV reported foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi as saying.
Israel said it had attacked nearly all of Iran's military infrastructure in Syria on Thursday after Iranian forces fired rockets at Israeli-held territory for the first time, in the most extensive military exchange ever between the two adversaries.
The confrontation came two days after US President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 multinational agreement aimed it curbing Iran's nuclear programme.
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Israel said it had destroyed almost all of Iran's military infrastructure in Syria, after what were described as heavy exchanges of fire during the night starting over the Golan Heights – the first time since 1974 that there have been clashes over the Israeli-occupied Syrian territory
Israel said its barrage on sites throughout Syria were a response to 20 missiles fired on Israeli forces in the Golan Heights, which it blamed on Iran's Quds Force.
Iran has denied any involvement.
"We hit nearly all the Iranian infrastructure in Syria," said Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman, in a prompt and rare Israeli acknowledgement of strikes in Syria.
"They need to remember the saying that if it rains on us, it'll storm on them. I hope we've finished this episode and everyone understood."
On Tuesday, shortly after Trump finished his speech announcing the pullout from the nuclear deal, the Israeli military said it had identified “irregular activity” by Iranian forces in Syria and instructed civil authorities in the Golan Heights to prepare bomb shelters.
It also deployed additional units and mobilised some reservist forces.
Lebanese channel al-Manar quoted the vice president of Iran's National Security Committee saying: "Iran has no relation to the missiles that hit the enemy entity yesterday."
Syria's army command said three people were killed and two injured in the strikes. A war monitor, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the strikes killed at least 23 military personnel, including Syrians and non-Syrians.
The Syrian army said in a statement on Syrian TV: "A new Israeli aggression was confronted yesterday and our air defence system was successful in intercepting a major number of the Israeli missiles that targeted Syrian military positions.
"Three soldiers were killed during the Israeli attack."
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