Israeli jets hit targets

JERUSALEM — Syria fired missiles at Israeli warplanes early Friday after a series of Israeli air strikes inside Syria — a rare military exchange between the two hostile neighbors that was confirmed by both sides.

The Israeli military said its aircraft struck several targets in Syria and were back in Israelicontrolled airspace when several antiaircraft missiles were launched from Syria toward the Israeli jets.

Israeli aerial defense systems intercepted one missile, the army said. It would not say whether any other missiles struck Israeli-held territory, but said the safety of Israeli civilians and aircraft was not compromised.

The army said the incident set off sirens in Jewish settlement communities in the Jordan Valley, part of the West Bank.

The firing of missiles from Syria toward Israeli aircraft is extremely rare, though Israeli military officials reported a shoulder-fired missile a few months ago.

A Syrian military statement said four Israeli warplanes violated Syrian airspace — flying into Syria through Lebanese territory — and targeted a military position in central Syria.

Damascus said Syrian antiaircraft systems confronted the planes and claimed one of the jets was shot down in Israelicontrolled territory and that another was hit. The Israeli military denied the claim, saying none of the jets had been hit.