Suspected Israeli airstrike hits central air base: Syrian TV

Syrian air defence units have responded to an Israeli "aggression" on an air base in the country's central province of Homs, shooting down several missiles, state TV said.

The channel, quoting an unidentified military official, said the attack late yesterday targeted the T4 air base with six missiles. The report did not mention any casualties but said one warplane was hit and several missiles were shot down before reaching their target.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said the missiles targeted Iranian troops and non-Syrian pro-Iranian fighters.

The attack comes amid a Syrian government offensive against insurgent groups near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Russia and Iran have provided crucial military support to Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces, helping them turn the tide in the seven-year civil war.

Israel has said it will not tolerate an Iranian military presence in Syria and has staged military strikes on Iranian targets there in recent months.

The Israeli military declined to comment on the reported attack.

Israel has carried out dozens of airstrikes inside Syria over the course of Syria's civil war, striking what it said were suspected arms shipments believed to be bound for Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group, which is fighting alongside Syrian government forces.