“Massive Syrian Anti-Air fire, F16 crashed in Israel, pilots safe.” IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus said on Twitter.

The incident took place after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed to have intercepted an Iranian UAV, which crossed from the territory of Syria into Israel. In response, the Israeli military attacked multiple towns in Syria. The invasion triggered heavy anti-aircraft fire by Syrian forces.

Israel targeted an army base in the central region of Syria, Sana reported, citing a military official, who also said that Syrian air defenses struck down multiple jets. The Israeli military denied all non-Israeli versions of events, claiming that all of their ‘assets’ returned to base safely.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently holding security consultations and approving the necessary actions in real time following the incidents, official Israeli sources told Haaretz.

IDF spokesman Ronen Manelis earlier said: “We identified an Iranian drone UAV which took off from Syrian territory. The drone was identified by IAF systems and was downed by an IAF helicopter. The Iranian drone fell in our territory and is in our possession.”  He described Israeli operation in Syria as “a surgical action deep in Syria.”

Red alert sirens were heard in multiple areas across Southern Syrian, which is currently illegally occupied by Israel, initially in the town of Beit She’an and later in the surrounding areas and Golan Heights.

Local residents told Haaretz that they heard many blasts and reported heavy aerial activity in the area near the Jordanian and Syrian borders.

Syria has repeatedly protested Israeli attacks on civilian targets inside Syria. Earlier this week, Israeli warplanes attacked military and civilian targets near Damascus from Lebanese airspace, with the Syrian Army claiming it destroyed most of the Israeli rockets.

In January, Israel launched three large scale military campaigns in Syria, using jets, tanks, chemical weapons and ground-to-ground missiles. At the times, Damascus claimed that it shot down one Israeli jet and one missile reporting mass civilian casualties and loss of homes, resources and businesses.