Israel has become the first country to have used the U.S.-made F-35s in combat

IDF air force chief said Israel has used them in attacks 'on two fronts'

Also claimed that the F-35s had avoided dozens of missiles in Syria

Israel has become the first country to used F-35 stealth fighter jets in combat, the country's air force chief said on Tuesday.

Major-General Amikam Norkin said Israel is operating the fighter planes 'all over the Middle East' and have used them in attacks on two different fronts - believed to be Syria and Lebanon.

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Maj. Gen. Norkin claimed that the planes had come under fire in Syria, but had been able to avoid '100 ground to air missiles'.

Fighter jets: Israel has become the first country to have used the U.S.-made F-35s, saying it had been in combat 'on two fronts' and had avoided dozens of missiles in Syria

He made the remarks in a speech to the chiefs of 20 foreign air forces convening in Israel this week.

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According to quotes posted by the IDF's official Twitter account, Maj. Gen Norkin said: 'The Iranians fired 32 rockets, we intercepted four of them and the rest fell outside Israeli territory.

F-35A Lighting II Developed by: USA Flown by: USA, UK, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey, Australia, Norway, Denmark, Canada, Israel, Japan, South Korea Program cost: $406billion to date Unit cost: $94.3million per fighter Length: 50ft Height: 14ft Wingspan: 35ft Weapon payload: 18,000lb Armaments: One 25mm GAU 22/A cannon, capable of firing up to 4,200 round per minute Two AIM-120C/D air-to-air missiles Two 2,000-pound GBU-31 JDAM guided bombs

'In our response attack, more than 100 ground to air missiles were fired at our planes.'

He also displayed a photograph of an Israeli F-35 overflying Beirut, local media said.

Maj. Gen. Norkin was referring to an attack on the Israel-occupied Golan Heights earlier this month, during which Iranian-made rockets were fired from Syria.

Israel's subsequent strikes against Iranian targets inside Syria were reported to be the most extensive since the two countries signed a disengagement agreement after the October war of 1973.

Israel and Iran have been coming into increasing contact in Syria, with the Jewish state saying it is trying to combat Iranian influence in the region.

The Israeli military accuses Iran of moving medium-range rockets and launchers into Syria, which could be used to strike Israel.

It also accuses Iran of attempting to fly drones over its territory, saying that several have been shot down.

Showing off: An Israeli Air Force F-35 fighter jet flies during an aerial demonstration at a graduation ceremony for Israeli Air Force pilots in southern Israel in December

In February and Israeli F-16 fighter jet was shot down over the Golan Heights as it returned from a bombing run in Syria.

Manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corp, the F-35 is also known as the Joint Strike Fighter and, in Israel, by its Hebrew name 'Adir' (Mighty).

Israel was the first country outside the United States to acquire the F-35. In December 2016, it received the first two planes out of an order of 50. According to Israeli media, at least nine have been delivered so far.

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Israel says it has carried out scores of strikes in Syria against suspected Iranian emplacements or arms transfers to Hezbollah guerrillas in neighbouring Lebanon.

Its air forces is also widely believed to have operated over against Islamist militants in the Egyptian Sinai and Hamas arms smugglers in Sudan.