The Israeli military says it has struck and destroyed an anti-aircraft battery in Syria after its planes were fired upon in Lebanese airspace.

A military spokesman said the Israeli planes were on a routine reconnaissance mission over the Lebanon-Syria border area on Monday when they came under fire from the Syrian side of the border.

They were not hit.

He called it the first incident of Syrian forces targeting Israeli planes since the civil war began in 2011.

In response, he said Israel hit a Syrian anti-aircraft battery about 50km east of Damascus and "incapacitated" it.

He said Russian forces were notified in real time and that Israel holds Syria responsible for any attack from its territory.

There was no immediate response from the Syrian government.