Story highlights Syria claims it shot down an Israeli warplane and drone near Israeli border Tuesday

But Israel says none of its aircraft were struck, calling the claim "completely false"

(CNN) The Israel Defense Forces have rejected Syrian military claims to have downed an Israeli warplane and drone over southwest Syria Tuesday morning as "completely false."

The General Command of the Syrian Armed Forces said in a statement that the incident occurred at 1:30 am local time Tuesday (6:30 p.m. ET Monday), after Israeli warplanes attacked a Syrian army position in al-Quneitra, near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights .

The statement said that Syrian air defense shot down a warplane southwest of al-Quneitra, and a drone west of the town of SaaSaa.

But the IDF spokesman's office called the claims "total lies."

Spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner said that "overnight two surface-to-air missiles were launched from Syria after the mission overnight to target Syrian artillery positions. At no point was the safety of IDF aircraft compromised."

Read More </s> A man sits on an old tank as he watches fighting taking place in Syria as seen from the Israeli side of the border fence between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights September 11, 2016. REUTERS/Baz Ratner

BEIRUT/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel said its aircraft attacked a Syrian army position on Tuesday after a stray mortar bomb struck the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, and it denied a Syrian statement that a warplane and drone were shot down.

The air strike was a now-routine Israeli response to the occasional spillover from fighting in a five-year-old civil war, and across Syria a ceasefire was holding at the start of its second day.

Syria’s army command said in a statement that Israeli warplanes had attacked an army position at 1 a.m. on Tuesday (2200 GMT, Monday) in the countryside of Quneitra province.

The Israeli military said its aircraft attacked targets in Syria hours after the mortar bomb from fighting among factions in Syria struck the Golan Heights. Israel captured the plateau from Syria in a 1967 war.

Related Coverage Israeli military denies any of its aircraft shot down in Syria

The Syrian army said it had shot down an Israeli warplane and a drone after the Israeli attack.

Denying any of its aircraft had been lost, the Israeli military said in a statement: “Overnight two surface-to-air missiles were launched from Syria after the mission to target Syrian artillery positions. At no point was the safety of (Israeli) aircraft compromised.”

The seven-day truce in Syria, brokered by Russia and the United States, is their second attempt this year by to halt the bloodshed. </s> Israel said its aircraft attacked a Syrian army position on Tuesday after a stray mortar bomb struck the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, and it denied a Syrian statement that a warplane and drone were shot down.

The air strike was a now-routine Israeli response to the occasional spillover from fighting in a five-year-old civil war, and across Syria a ceasefire was holding at the start of its second day.

Syria’s army command said in a statement that Israeli warplanes had attacked an army position at 1am on Tuesday (2200 GMT, Monday) in the countryside of Quneitra province.

The Israeli military said its aircraft attacked targets in Syria hours after the mortar bomb from fighting among factions in Syria struck the Golan Heights. Israel captured the plateau from Syria in a 1967 war.

The Syrian army said it had shot down an Israeli warplane and a drone after the Israeli attack.

Denying any of its aircraft had been lost, the Israeli military said in a statement: “Overnight two surface-to-air missiles were launched from Syria after the mission to target Syrian artillery positions. At no point was the safety of (Israeli) aircraft compromised.”

The seven-day truce in Syria, brokered by Russia and the United States, is their second attempt this year by to halt the bloodshed. </s> YERUSHALAYIM/BEIRUT (Reuters) - The IDF denied on Tuesday morning a report on Syrian state media that an Israeli warplane and a drone were shot down after an Israeli attack on a Syrian army position.

“Overnight two surface-to-air missiles were launched from Syria after the mission to target Syrian artillery positions. At no point was the safety of [Israeli] aircraft compromised,” the Israeli military said in a statement.

The Syrian army earlier said it had shot down an Israeli warplane and a drone in Syria after an Israeli attack on a Syrian army position in southern Syria.

SANA news agency said that the warplane had attacked an army position at 1 a.m. on Tuesday in the southern Quneitra countryside, and that it and a drone were then shot down. </s> Israeli aircraft struck various positions in Syria Saturday, destroying two tanks, in response to more than 10 projectiles that landed in its territory, the military said.

The flare-up marked a rare case of Israeli involvement in the bloody fighting next door. Israel has steadfastly stayed on the sidelines of Syria's civil war, now in its seventh year, refraining from taking sides or getting drawn into hostilities. It has responded in the past with limited strikes when fire has spilled into Israel and holds the Syrian government responsible for any such incidents. It's also reportedly hit advanced weapons shipments from Syria to Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

On Saturday, the Israeli military said fighting between Syrian troops and rebels had spilled over again, with projectiles landing on the Israeli side of the frontier. It said no injuries or damage was caused but with Israelis flocking to the Golan Heights in the summer for hikes and fruit picking, the military took the precautionary step of asking civilians to avoid gathering near the border. Later, it announced that it had targeted the source of the fire and hit two tanks belonging to the Syrian military.

The government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media said Syrian troops and their allies repelled an attack by insurgents on the outskirts of the southern city of Baath on the edge of the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. The SCMM accused an Israeli helicopter of assisting insurgents in their attack on military outposts.

Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee wrote on his Arabic-language Facebook page that about 10 shells hit the Israeli-occupied area nearby, adding that Israel's air force struck Syrian army targets in the area.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said that Israeli warplanes attacked a Syrian army position in Quneitra while Syria's state-run news agency SANA said "an army position was targeted in Quneitra."

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war. </s> JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military struck artillery positions in Syria on Tuesday after a projectile from that country’s civil war hit the Israeli-controlled part of the Golan Heights, but denied a Syrian claim that Syrian forces shot down two Israeli aircraft.

The incident was the fifth case since last week in which fighting in Syria has spilled over into Israel, and the first since a U.S.-Russia brokered truce went into effect at sunset on Monday to try and end the civil war, now in its sixth year.

Israel has largely remained on the sidelines of the fighting, but has carried out reprisals on Syrian positions when errant fire previously landed in Israel.

Shortly after the air raid, Syria’s armed forces claimed to have shot down an Israeli warplane and an unmanned drone along the frontier.

The Israeli military quickly denied the report, saying that a pair of surface-to-air missiles were fired at its aircraft but missed. “At no point was the safety of IDF (Israel Defense Forces) aircraft compromised,” it said.

Israeli warplanes have conducted several raids on Syrian army positions over the past weeks after stray shells hit the Israeli-controlled Golan. Israel is also widely believed to have carried out airstrikes on arms shipments said to be destined for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, a close ally of the Syrian government.

Later on Tuesday, the Israeli military said another “projectile” fired from Syria hit the Golan Heights, causing no injuries. It would not elaborate further.

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and the two countries have technically been in a state of war for decades. </s> Syrian army says it shot down Israeli warplane, drone

Syria's military said it shot down an Israeli warplane and a drone early Tuesday in response to an attack on Syrian army positions -- a claim denied by Israel.

"Our air defences blocked the attack and shot down the military aircraft in (the southern province of) Quneitra and a drone" in the province of Damascus, said the Syrian army statement carried by state news agency SANA.

It accused Israeli forces of supporting "armed terrorist groups" in the country's south.

The Israeli army said none of its aircraft had been downed.

"Overnight two surface-to-air missiles were launched from Syria after the (Israeli) mission overnight to target Syrian artillery positions," military spokesman Arye Shalicar said.

"At no point was the safety of (Israeli) aircraft compromised. Nothing true about what they claim."

The Israeli military earlier said it targeted Syrian army positions after stray fire from its war-torn neighbour hit the Israeli-held zone of the Golan Heights on Monday.

An Israeli military spokeswoman told AFP Monday's projectile was most likely not intentional, rather spillover from "internal fighting in Syria."

It was the fourth such incident in nine days, and came as a new Syrian ceasefire brokered by Russia and the United States came into force on Monday.

The initial 48-hour truce does not apply to areas held by jihadists such as the Islamic State group. </s> JERUSALEM — Israeli aircraft struck various positions in Syria Saturday, destroying two tanks, in response to more than 10 projectiles that landed in its territory, the military said.

The flare-up marked a rare case of Israeli involvement in the bloody fighting next door. Israel has steadfastly stayed on the sidelines of Syria's civil war, now in its seventh year, refraining from taking sides or getting drawn into hostilities. It has responded in the past with limited strikes when fire has spilled into Israel and holds the Syrian government responsible for any such incidents. It's also reportedly hit advanced weapons shipments from Syria to Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

On Saturday, the Israeli military said fighting between Syrian troops and rebels had spilled over again, with projectiles landing on the Israeli side of the frontier. It said no injuries or damage was caused but with Israelis flocking to the Golan Heights in the summer for hikes and fruit picking, the military took the precautionary step of asking civilians to avoid gathering near the border. Later, it announced that it had targeted the source of the fire and hit two tanks belonging to the Syrian military.

Syrian state media said a number of people were killed.

"We have no intention of allowing the breech of our sovereignty and harming of our security to go unpassed," said Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman. "As far as we are concerned, the Assad regime is responsible for what is happening in its territory and it will continue to bear the consequences if such events repeat themselves."

The government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media said Syrian troops and their allies repelled an attack by insurgents on the outskirts of the southern city of Baath on the edge of the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. The SCMM accused an Israeli helicopter of assisting insurgents in their attack on military outposts.

Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee wrote on his Arabic-language Facebook page that about 10 shells hit the Israeli-occupied area nearby, adding that Israel's air force struck Syrian army targets in the area.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said that Israeli warplanes attacked a Syrian army position in Quneitra while Syria's state-run news agency SANA said "an army position was targeted in Quneitra."

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war. </s> CAIRO/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Israeli warplanes fired missiles targeting Syrian military positions in Homs and the Damascus outskirts, the Syrian military said on Monday.

Syrian air defenses confronted the attack, which was launched from Lebanese airspace, the Syrian defense ministry said in a brief report on its Telegram feed.

An Israeli military spokeswoman, asked about the report, said: “We don’t comment on such reports.”

Syrian state news agency SANA said there were reports the attack had caused civilian deaths and injuries in Sahnaya, south of Damascus. It said a baby had been killed in Sahnaya as “a result of the Zionist aggression”.

SANA also cited its correspondent as saying Syrian air defenses had brought down a number of the missiles.

In recent years, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria that it says have targeted its regional arch foe, Iran, and the Lebanese Hezbollah group, which it calls the biggest threat to its borders.

Iran and Hezbollah are fighting on the side of President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian war, and Israel says they are trying to turn Syria into a new front against Israelis.
Syria reports its air defense shot down an Israeli warplane that attacked a Syrian army position in al-Quneitra, near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Israel Defense Forces say that missiles were fired at their aircraft but none hit.