Israeli military launches strikes on southern Syria

"Israeli aeroplanes fired at least three missiles from the occupied Golan," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Two of the strikes targeted a Syrian army brigade which supervises the country's Quneitra province, he told AFP, while the third missile was destroyed by Syrian defences.

Syria's official SANA news agency reported "foreign objects coming from the occupied territories (Israel)" which Syrian air defences were "dealing with".

The Israeli military did not comment on the reported strikes when approached by AFP.

The strikes come a day after Syrian air defence systems intercepted projectiles coming from Israel, SANA reported.

The "hostile targets" were fired late on Friday towards Quneitra province which lies close to the Golan Heights, parts of which are annexed by Israel.

Hundreds of strikes have been carried out by Israel in Syria, most of them against what it says are Iranian and Hizballah targets.

Israel says it is determined to prevent its arch foe Iran from entrenching itself militarily in Syria, where Tehran backs President Bashar al-Assad in the country's eight-year war.

Israel insists that it has the right to continue to target positions in Syria held by Iran and its Lebanese ally Hizballah.

Follow us on Twitter: @The_NewArab