Israel has conducted airstrikes on a number of military targets in Syria, after claiming that two rockets had landed on its territory in the Golan Heights, reports Haaretz. At least three Syrian soldiers and seven Iran-backed militants have been killed in the operation.

A statement from Israel confirmed the strikes, revealing that the targets had been artillery batteries, observation posts as well as air defence systems.

“We will not tolerate firing at our territory and will respond with great force to any aggression against us. This has been my consistent policy and this is what we will continue to do for the security of Israel,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had posted on Twitter after the rockets landed in the Golan.

The Israeli had suffered no casualties from the rocket fire, but it was seen as an intentional act and not errant firing between rebel groups and the Syrian government. Over the course of the Syrian Civil War, the country has become home to a number of Iran-backed proxies which fight on behalf of the Bashad Al-Assad government.

Israel believes itself to be increasingly threatened by the presence of such militant groups as they could also by Iran to target it in any confrontation between the two countries.