Israeli airstrikes hit Syrian city

(UPI) -- Israeli military conducted airstrikes on an air defense base in Syria Thursday, reportedly targeting weaponry headed for Hezbollah militants.

The attack, believed to be the fifth by Israel inside Syria this year, hit a military installation near the port city of Latakia along the Mediterranean coast.

The Lebanese news agency reported sightings of Israeli warplanes flying into Lebanon's airspace for several hours Thursday morning, while eyewitnesses on Twitter said they heard explosions near Snobar Jableh village south of Latakia.

An Obama administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Israelis targeted the missiles they feared would be transferred from Syria to Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon. Hezbollah has been fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces against the opposition in Syria's nearly three-year civil war.

While the Israeli government has not acknowledged the attack, it has long maintained it would work to prevent the transfer of any arms to Hezbollah or other groups designated as terrorists that could threaten Israel's security.