Missile fire is seen from Damascus, Syria. (File photo by Reuters)

Damascus, April 22 (RHC)-- Syrian air defenses have intercepted Israeli missiles targeting the vicinity of Damascus, in a new act of aggression that was carried out shortly after Tel Aviv claimed a missile fired from Syria landed near the regime’s top-secret military nuclear facility Dimona.

The official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) cited a military source as saying that the Israeli attack wounded four soldiers and caused some material losses.  “At about 1:38 AM today, the Israeli enemy carried out an air raid with a number of missiles from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan [Heights], targeting some points in the vicinity of Damascus,” the source said -- adding that Syrian air defenses intercepted the Israeli missiles and “dropped most of them.”

The Israeli regime’s military said earlier that a Syrian surface-to-air missile exploded in southern Israel and triggered warning sirens in an area close to the secretive Dimona nuclear reactor.

In response to the alleged Syrian attack, the Israeli military said, it targeted several missile batteries in Syria, including the one that fired the missile.  An Israeli military spokesman said the missile’s primary target was an Israeli aircraft in an earlier attack but it overflew its target and reached the Dimona area.

Earlier this month, Syria intercepted missiles fired by the Israeli regime from the Lebanese airspace towards the Damascus countryside.  That attack also targeted the vicinity of the capital while the Syrian air defenses dropped “most” of the projectiles.

In response, Syria renewed its call on the UN Security Council to take a “firm and immediate” action against acts of aggression by the regime in Tel Aviv, saying the latest attack was in flagrant violation of the UN Charter, principles of the international law, and relevant Security Council resolutions, which all demand respect for Syria’s sovereignty.

“The Israeli act of aggression comes at the time when the world is celebrating Easter, which carries the message of love and peace. Israel, however, has proven through its incessant attacks on the Syrian soil that it does not believe in peace but rather in the law of the jungle,” the statement read.

Israel has repeatedly attacked Syria since the outbreak of the Syrian conflict in March 2011. The conflict has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions more.

The Damascus government says Israel and its Western and regional allies are aiding terrorist groups wreaking havoc in the Arab country.