JERUSALEM: Israel’s launched its “David’s Sling” air defence system on Monday as a precaution against rockets fired within neighbouring Syria, setting off sirens in northern Israeli communities, the military said.
The rockets fell inside Syrian territory and were part of internal fighting, a military statement said. It did not elaborate on whether they had been shot down by the two interceptors launched by David’s Sling, a mid-range Israeli system jointly manufactured by US firm Raytheon.
Israel has been on high alert as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s Russian-backed army advances against southern rebels, bringing it close to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Israeli leaders have said they worry that Assad may try to defy a 1974 demilitarisation deal on the Golan or allow his Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah allies to deploy there.