A Syrian missile exploded in southern Israel, the Israeli military said, in an incident that triggered warning sirens near the secretive Dimona nuclear reactor and an Israeli strike in Syria, writes the Reuters.

An Israeli military spokesman identified the projectile as an SA-5 surface-to-air missile fired by Syrian forces against Israeli aircraft. He said it overflew its target to reach the Dimona area, 200 km south of the Syrian border.

The missile did not hit the reactor, landing some 30 km away, he added.

In a further statement, the military said a preliminary investigation showed that Israel’s anti-missile systems had not carried out an interception of the projectile. Israeli security sources said the missile exploded in mid-air.

In response, Israel launched further overnight attacks inside Syria, the military spokesman said, targeting several missile batteries, including the one that fired the SA-5.

The sirens that sounded in the dead of night in the Dimona area followed weeks of heightened tension between Israel and Iran, amid renewed negotiations surrounding Tehran’s nuclear programme.