A large chunk of metal shrapnel from a Syrian anti-aircraft missile that was fired into Israel was found near the northern West Bank city Jenin on Wednesday.
The SA-5 interceptor rocket was fired around 1am and exploded mid-air. Its scraps were found in the Palestinian village Jaba' southwest of the city. The projectile activated warning sirens near the town of Umm el Fahm, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Jerusalem, and in the northern part of the West Bank. There were no reports of injuries or damage there.
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Shrapnel from a Syrian anti-aircraft missile found near the northern West Bank city Jenin, February 9, 2022
The explosion was heard across large swathes of northern Israel and the West Bank.
Palestinian security sources told Ynet that the shrapnel landed in an open field but could have caused much damage had it crashed in a residential area, owing to the large size of the pieces that fell from a great height.
The anti-aircraft missile, which was supposedly fired at Israeli Air Force (IAF) fighter jets during a nighttime air raid the Syrians attributed to Israel, was detected by the IAF's radar system and was closely monitored until it exploded in the air.
In a rare statement acknowledging attacks inside Syria, the Israeli military said it struck Syrian facilities used in targeting Israeli aircraft in retaliation, including a radar system and anti-aircraft batteries.
According to Syrian state media, a Syrian soldier was killed and five others were wounded in an Israeli attack near the capital Damascus.
Syrian official news agency SANA reported that Israel fired surface-to-surface missiles in the vicinity of the capital city Damascus, describing them as "Israeli aggression's missiles", and some of them were brought down by air defenses. It said a Syrian soldier was killed in the attack, which caused material damage, and five soldiers were wounded.
Other reports on Syrian media said that one interceptor rocket have caused damage to a building and several vehicles in the town of Qudssaya near the capital.
One of the attacks is believed to have targeted Syrian army installations which also have a considerable Iranian presence.
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Building damaged by a Syrian anti-aircraft missile in the town of Qudssaya near Damascus, February 9, 2022
(Photo: SANA)
Israel has been linked to hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria over the past decade of the civil war in the Arab country, but its government rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations.
Israel has acknowledged, however, that it is targeting bases of Iran-allied militias, such as Hezbollah, which is fighting on the side of Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces in the country's civil strife.
Russian Ambassador to Damascus Alexander Efimov told state-owned news agency Sputnik that Russia strongly condemns the Israeli airstrikes in Syria and considers them illegal according to international law.
"Russia strongly condemns the Israeli air raids in Syria and calls to end them. Consistently and at various levels, we bring this position to Western Jerusalem," Efimov said, adding that such actions deteriorate the situation in the region.
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Damage caused by a Syrian anti-aircraft missile in the town of Qudssaya near Damascus, February 9, 2022
(Photo: SANA)
Last April, Shrapnel from a Syrian surface-to-air missile that overflew its target fell on residential homes near the Dimona area after a mid-air explosion and triggered air raid sirens near Israel's nuclear reactor in the city.
Another such incident was recorded in September when a Syrian missile exploded off the coast of central Israel. shrapnel from the SA-5 missile was located in Tel Aviv. In response, the IDF attacked a Syrian SA-5 battery and destroyed it.