Syrian army reinforces air defences near Golan border

Syria has reinforced its anti-aircraft defences near the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, a commander in the regional alliance backing President Bashar al-Assad said on Tuesday.

Russian-made Pantsir S1 weapons will be stationed to "to renew the air defence system against Israel in the first degree", the commander told Reuters.

Additional defences will be added in the coming days, he added.

On 10 May, Israel unleashed a heavy bombardment against what it said were Iranian military installations in Syria. It said it was retaliation for an Iranian rocket barrage on its positions in the Golan.

It was the most serious military confrontation between the two bitter enemies to date.

Israel has long called for Iranian-backed forces such as Lebanon's Hizballah to keep away from its border with Syria.

The Israeli-occupied Golan Heights have witnessed heightened tensions in recent months causing many to fear an all-out conflict between Israel and Iran, whose proxy militias have been fighting alongside the Assad regime in Syria.

The Israeli military staged a surprise drill in the Golan Heights on Sunday.