A rare clash between Israel and Syria occurred early Friday morning after Israeli warplanes struck several targets inside Syria, with Syria retaliating with a salvo of ground-to-air missiles. The incident is the most significant military altercation between the Syria and Israel since the Syrian civil war began in March 2011.

The Israeli military said none of the Syrian missiles hit their targets.

"(Our) aircraft was at no point compromised," army spokesman Peter Lerner said.

Syrian state news agency SANA contested this claim but provided no evidence, running a statement from the army describing an attack on Israeli planes carrying out pre-dawn strikes near Palmyra, in central Syria.

"Our air defence engaged them and shot down one warplane over occupied territory, hit another one, and forced the rest to flee," the Syrian army statement said.