On Friday, Israeli jets flew very low over parts of Lebanon, frightening residents on Christmas Eve, while some of whom said that they see missiles in the skies over Beirut.

Syria’s official news agency then related that explosions occurred in the central Syrian town of Masyaf. Other Syrian media reported that Syrian air defenses responded to an Israeli assault near the Hama province. But, there was no immediate news about the target or whether there were any casualties.

In fact, Israeli jets frequently violate Lebanese airspace and have often hit inside Syria from Lebanese territory. But the Christmas Eve flights were more than usual, terrifying Beirut residents who have suffered from many crises in the past year, including the catastrophic August 4 blast at the city’s port that killed over 200 people and destroyed parts of the capital. That explosion resulted from the blast of a stockpile of ammonium nitrates improperly stocked at the facility.

Whereas, any immediate news from Israel on Friday’s flights and claimed assaults on Syria were not reported. During the past few years, Israel has admitted launching dozens of airstrikes in Syria, most of them aimed at suspected Iranian weapons lots supposed to be destined for Hezbollah. Recently, Israeli officials have showed worry that Hezbollah is seeking to construct production facilities to make precision guided missiles.

Masyaf constitute a significant military area for Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime that contains a military academy and a scientific research center. Many times in the past, Israel has hit targets.