Israeli bombing of Daraa in Syria a 'provocation', foreign minister says

After Israeli air strikes targeted southern Syria on Wednesday morning - just hours after two missiles were launched from there towards the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights - the Syrian foreign minister called Israel's actions "a provocation".

Asaad al-Shaibani said Syria does "not seek war" and "demands respect for the 1974 Disengagement Agreement" with Israel, which established a buffer zone with a United Nations peacekeeping force.

"Syria is a free and sovereign state, and any country that treats us in the previous manner is an insult to our country," he said in his remarks on Wednesday. 

"We are pursuing elements that threaten Syrian civilians and the country's security."

The missiles were reportedly fired from the town of Tasil in Syria's Daraa Governorate - an area where Israel conducted military operations in April as part of its ongoing incursions into Syrian territory.

A previously unknown group calling itself the Martyr Mohammed Deif Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack. The group is named after the late commander of Hamas's armed wing.