Israel fires missiles on Syria in retaliation

International reports say that an Israeli aircraft has fired missiles at a building in Syria's Golan Heights in response to a rocket strike on an Israeli village.

Syrian state TV reported that "several missiles" had hit a transport centre and public building in the Height's Quneitra area, after earlier on, rockets landed near a village in northern Israel.

Reports suggest that there were no injuries in either attack.

Israeli officials blamed the rocket strike on the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad, which however denied the claim.

A statement released by the Israeli military said the rockets that hit the upper Galilee region "were launched from the Syrian Golan Heights... by Islamic Jihad, sponsored by Iran".

According to the Guardian, the statement went on to say that Israel "holds the Syrian government responsible for attacks emanating from Syria".

Dawoud Shehab, a spokesman for the group who is based in Gaza, denied it had fired on Israel.

"Israel is trying to divert attention from the defeat that it suffered in the face of the determination of the hero prisoner, Mohammed Allan," Shehab told Reuters.

Islamic Jihad, whose leaders are based in the Syrian capital, had previously threatened reprisals should one of its activists in Israeli detention, Mohammed Allan, die of a hunger strike, but Allan called off his fast on Wednesday after the Israeli court suspended his detention.

Allan is believed to have suffered brain damage after going 65 days without food.

Islamic Jihad has publicly acknowledged receiving support from Iran, a connection Israel has sought to highlight as it campaigns against the proposed US deal with Iran. The stretch of border involved in the exchange has been largely quiet since the 2006 war between Israel and the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah.