Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani condemned on Wednesday Israeli strikes in retaliation for overnight rocket fire, saying they were aimed at destabilising his country.

Israel bombed southern Syria after the military reported that two projectiles were fired into Israeli territory, with media reports saying these were the first launched from Syria since the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December.

Two unknown groups claimed responsibility for the launches, while Syrian authorities denied responsibility and said they would "never be a threat" to anyone in the region.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz held Syria's leader "directly responsible".

There were no reports of casualties or damage on the Israeli side from the projectiles, which the military said triggered air raid sirens in the southern Golan Heights, a territory Israel seized from Syria in 1967 and annexed in 1981.

The Israeli military said that the two projectiles "fell in open areas", later announcing it struck "weapons" belonging to the Syrian government in........

© Al Monitor