Israel attacks Syrian?anti-aircraft unit

TheIsraeli air force on Monday attacked aSyriananti-aircraft battery thatIsraelsaid hadfireda missile atitsplanesas they were on a reconnaissance missionover neighbouringLebanon.

NoIsraeliplaneswere hit in theSyrianlaunch,Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Conricus said, adding that the counter-strike took place two hours later and "incapacitated" the anti-aircraftunitlocated 50 km (30 miles) east of Damascus.

"We know according to our intelligence it was a battery controlled by theSyrianregime and we hold theSyrianregime responsible for the fire," Conricus said.

There was no immediate comment from Syria which, while an old enemy ofIsrael, has rarely traded blows with it directly since a 1974 ceasefire ended their last conventional war.

Monday's incident was additionally unusual givenitspublication byIsrael, which rarely gives details onitsair force activitiesoverLebanonand Syria to foil suspected arms transfers to Iranian-backed Hezbollah guerrillas.

Such missions in Syria have increased dramatically during the country's civil war,Israeli official says, adding that all efforts are made to avoid accidental clashes with Russian forces helping Damascus beat back rebels.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu was due to begin a visit toIsraellater on Monday. Conricus said theIsraeli military informed Russia ofitsSyria strike "in real time or immediately before" it took place and would brief Shoigu.

Conricus said aSyrianattack onIsraeli air forceplanesoverLebanonwas unprecedented.Syrian anti-aircraft missiles were launched atIsraeli warplanesoverSyria in March. They were unscathed but one of the missiles, onitsdescent, was intercepted byIsrael's Arrow air defence system.

According to Conricus, theSyrianbattery struck on Monday had carried out the launch against theIsraeliplanesin March.