Russia on Friday summoned Israel's Ambassador to the country for clarifications following the Israeli airstrikes in Syria overnight Thursday, a statement by Moscow said.

Israel's Foreign Ministry confirmed the ambassador had been summoned, according to Haaretz.

Ambassador Gary Koren, who had presented his credentials to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, was called in for a discussion with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov on the recent developments in Syria, a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Syria responded to the Israeli airstrikes by launching several anti-aircraft missiles towards the Israeli aircraft.

One missile was intercepted by Israel's Arrow air defense system, one of the first times the system has been used.

Residents of the Jordan Valley, Jerusalem and Samaria reported hearing sirens and explosions as a result of the operation, but the IDF stressed that at no time were the soldiers or Israeli citizens in danger.

News of the summoning of the ambassador came just after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu issued a statement on the airstrike and said Israel will continue to act to prevent the transfer of weapons to Hezbollah.

“Our policy is very consistent: when we identify attempts to transfer advanced weapons to Hezbollah, and we have the intelligence and operational feasibility - we work to prevent this," the Prime Minister said.

"That's how it’s been and that’s how it will be, we have determination, and the proof is that we are acting, and everyone has to take this into account," he added.

Haaretz noted that it is relatively rare for Israeli ambassadors to be called in in wake of Israeli airstrikes in Syria.

Since Russian forces entered Syria two years ago, a number of attacks attributed to Israel have taken place, but in none of the cases was the Israel envoy to Moscow asked to give clarifications.

Israel and Russia in 2015 formed a joint mechanism to coordinate military operations in Syria, and in particular concerning the use of Syrian airspace. The mechanism was agreed upon during a meeting between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Putin in Moscow.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)