KEY POINTS
  • The wave of airstrikes came after Israel intercepted an Iranian drone that had infiltrated its airspace, and an Israeli F-16 was downed upon its return from Syria on Saturday.
  • The military said it destroyed the drone's Iranian launching site, along with four additional Iranian positions and eight Syrian sites.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) sits next to Cabinet Secretary Tzachi Braverman (R) and Israeli Intelligence and Transportation Minister Israel Katz (L) during a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem on February 11, 2018.

Israel's Minister of Intelligence Israel Katz said on Sunday that by striking key Iranian sites in Syria, Israel sent a clear message to Iran that it would not tolerate an Iranian military foothold on its doorstep and would act decisively to counter any further provocations.

The wave of airstrikes came after Israel intercepted an Iranian drone that had infiltrated its airspace, and an Israeli F-16 was downed upon its return from Syria on Saturday. It was Israel's most serious engagement in neighboring Syria since fighting there began in 2011 — and the most devastating air assault on the country in decades.