The Syrian government charged that Israeli aircraft dropped "munitions" inside Syria on Thursday and said its air defenses opened fire, in a new escalation of tensions between the decades-old foes.
It was unclear what happened. Syria stopped short of accusing Israel of purposely bombing its territory, and an Israeli spokesman said he could not comment on military operations.
Analysts speculated such a foray could have been probing Syria's defenses or monitoring long-range missile bases. The reported path also would have taken the jets near Iran, whose growing power and anti-Israel government worries leaders of the Jewish state.
The incident came after a summer of building tensions that have fed worries of a military conflict. Syria accused Israel last month of seeking a pretext for war, and the Israelis are keeping a close watch on Syrian troop movements.
Both sides have insisted they want no conflict along the disputed frontier. But Syria fears it is being squeezed out of a US-brokered peace conference planned for November and will be left at a disadvantage in the standoff with Israel.
Syria has grown more vocal in pressing its demand that Israel give back the Golan Heights.
Israel, in turn, seeks the return of three Israeli soldiers held for more than a year by two Syrian-allied militant groups, Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and Hamas in the Palestinian lands.
The official Syrian Arab News Agency quoted a military official as saying Israeli jets broke the sound barrier flying over northern Syria before dawn on Thursday, then "dropped munitions" onto deserted areas after being shot at by Syria's air defenses.
Syria did not, however, claim the aircraft bombed its territory. Asked if Israel had attacked, Syrian Cabinet Minister Buthaina Shaaban said only that the aircraft violated Syrian air space.
"We are a sovereign country. They cannot do that," Shaaban said on al-Jazeera television's English service.
Syrian officials did not specify the type or quantity of Israeli aircraft that purportedly crossed the border or describe the "munitions" dropped. Pilots sometimes jettison extra fuel tanks when warplanes come under fire to make the craft lighter and easier to maneuver.
"We warn the Israeli enemy government against this flagrant aggressive act, and retain the right to respond in an appropriate way," the Syrian military said.
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