TEL AVIV, January 21. /TASS/. Israel used the mechanism of urgent contacts with the Russian military during strikes against targets in Syria last night, Israel Defense Force spokesman Jonathan Conricus told a news briefing for foreign media on Monday.

"The deconfliction mechanism in Syria is supported by both parties - Israel and Russia. It is being used at the moment while we are having this conversation. It was routinely employed in accordance with the standard procedures last night," Conricus said.

Last night’s strikes against Iranian targets in Syria were in retaliation for the launch of a surface-to-surface missile against the Israeli territory on Sunday. The Israeli Air Force attacked Iranian weapons warehouses, an intelligence facility, a training camp and Syrian air defense batteries, the IDF press-service said earlier. On Sunday, the  Israeli Iron Dome air defense system intercepted a missile launched at the Golan Heights.  Earlier on the same day the Syrian news agency SANA said that Syria’s air defense systems repelled an Israeli air attack in the south of the country.

On January 13, Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that for the sake of preventing Tehran from gaining a firmer foothold in Syria Israel was prepared to step up attacks against Iranian facilities in the neighboring country. He also acknowledged the January 12 strike against a weapons warehouse at Damascus airport.