Syria's Russian-made S-200 Missile Detonates Near Its Nuclear Facility, Israel Launches A Counterattack

JAKARTA - A Syrian surface-to-air missile exploded near the secretive Dimona nuclear reactor, southern Israel on Thursday, April 22. Warning sirens sounded around the area.

As reported by Reuters, there were no reports of casualties or damage on the part of Israel as a result of this missile attack. However, immediate countermeasures were taken.

An Israeli Military Spokesman said the Syrian missile which reached the Dimona area initially targeted Israeli-owned aircraft. However, the missile missed its target.

The SA-5 or S-200 missile, which was purchased from Russia, according to the spokesman, landed far from the nuclear reactor, some 30 kilometers.

The Israeli military said that in response to the launch, a retaliatory strike was carried out against several positions of Syrian missile batteries, including those that fired projectiles that hit Israeli territory.

The Syrian News Agency said Syrian air defenses intercepted Israeli attacks targeting areas on the outskirts of Damascus.

"The attack took place at around 01:38 local time. The air defenses intercepted the rockets and brought down most of them", the Syrian News Agency said.

"However, four soldiers were injured and there was some material damage caused by the attack", the news agency continued.

A Syrian military defector said the Israeli strike targeted a location near the city of Dumair, about 40 km northeast of Damascus, where the Iranian-backed militias are located. This is an area that Israel has repeatedly attacked before.

The media said in the last few weeks the air defenses around the Dimona reactor and the Red Sea port of Eilat were being upgraded, in anticipation of possible long-range missile or drone attacks by Iranian-backed forces, such as from Yemen.

Israel-Iran relations have been heating up in recent times, due to Tehran's nuclear program and sabotage attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities in Natanz.