The Israeli military said Friday it fired a Patriot missile at a drone approaching from Syria, while residents of the northern city of Safed said they heard explosions and saw trails of smoke.

The missile struck down the drone, a military statement said.

Video of smoke trail seen today after Israel fired Patriot missile at drone approaching from Syria Credit: Eyal Ben Simon

This is the second time this week that a drone has entered Israel from Syria; on Wednesday, the military fired a Patriot missile at a drone it said was shot down over Lake Kinneret 10 kilometers (6 miles) into Israel.

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In response to Wednesday's drone incursion, the air force attacked three military positions in Syria that night, the Israel Defense Forces said.

According to Syrian media, Hezbollah positions were hit in the Quneitra province of the Syrian Golan Heights. The attack took place at the village of Khan Arnabeh and at a city in the Quneitra province, Syrian media reported.

Last month, Israel fired a missile at a drone that approached its airspace near the Syrian frontier, and in February it shot down what it said was an Iranian drone that entered its airspace. It bombed Iranian targets in Syria in response.