Israel intercepts Iranian missile over Syria: Syrian ministry source to AFP

Israel intercepted an Iranian missile over Syria on Sunday, a Syrian interior ministry source told AFP, causing a loud explosion heard across Damascus.

"The loud explosion in Damascus was an Israeli interception of an Iranian missile," the source said, requesting anonymity.

AFP journalists in Damascus heard a blast.

A US-Israeli attack on Iran on Saturday triggered a retaliation from Tehran, which has been firing rockets at Israel since then.

Debris from missiles fell in southern Syria, which borders Israel, on Saturday according to state media.

Syria, whose new authorities are hostile to Tehran, extended the closure of its airspace on Sunday for 24 hours, the official SANA news agency reported.

Its national carrier suspended on Saturday all flights to and from the Damascus and Aleppo international airports until further notice.

Israel struck and destroyed much of the Syrian army's infrastructure including its air defences after the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in 2024, fearing it would fall into the hands of the new Islamist authorities.