Syria fires missiles at Israeli warplanes following airstrikes

JERUSALEM — Syria fired missiles at Israeli warplanes on a mission to destroy a weapons convoy destined for the Iranianbacked Lebanese militant group Hezbollah Friday, Israeli officials said. Syria confirmed the rare military exchange between the two hostile neighbors that prompted Israel to deploy its missile defense system.

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

Israeli aerial defense systems intercepted one of the missiles, the army said, without elaborating. It would not say whether any other missiles struck Israeli-held territory, but said the safety of Israeli civilians and Israeli aircraft was “not compromised.”

Israel is widely believed to have carried out several airstrikes in recent years on advanced weapons systems in Syria — including Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles and Iranian-made missiles — as well as Hezbollah positions. It rarely comments on such operations and the military statement detailing the raid and comments confirming the operation by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were highly unusual.

Also Friday, the head of a Lebanon-based United Nations agency that promotes development in Arab countries resigned, after refusing to withdraw a controversial report concluding that Israel has established an “apartheid regime” that discriminates against Palestinians.

The report drew swift criticism from U.N. and Israeli officials.