BEIRUT, July 22 ― Syria's air defences intercepted early today an Israeli attack on the al Qusair area in Homs, Syrian state media reported.

A Syrian military source said in a statement there was some material damage from the strike and no casualties.

The Israeli military said it had no comment.

In a separate development, the Israeli military said in a statement that its troops were searching for "two suspects” who were spotted crossing the Lebanese border into Israeli territory overnight. It did not say whether the infiltrators were believed to be armed.

On Monday, Syria said it had intercepted an attack on Aleppo.

Homs province adjoins Lebanon, where the Iranian-backed Lebanese Shi'ite Hezbollah group holds sway along the rugged frontier.

Western intelligence sources have said Israel's stepped-up strikes on Syria since last year are part of a shadow war approved by the United States.

The strikes are also part of an anti-Iran policy that in the past two years has undermined Iran's extensive military power without starting a major increase in hostilities. ― Reuters