MOSCOW, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Syrian air defense forces Thursday downed over half of about 70 missiles fired by Israel at targets on Syrian territory, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

It said in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies that Israel fired some 60 missiles in the early hours of Thursday using 28 F-15 and F-16 aircraft while 10 surface-to-air missiles were launched from the ground.

The strikes targeted armed Iranian detachments and Syrian air defense positions near capital Damascus and in southern Syria, the ministry said.

The attacks were carried out under the pretext of responding to an alleged strike by Iranian forces based in Syria on Israeli positions in Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, it said.

Data on the damage caused to Iranian formations and Syrian military and civil infrastructure was being collected, the Russian ministry said.

Russian troops have been participating in the fight against the Islamic State and insurgent groups in Syria since September 2015 at the request of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.