Israel launched ground and air attacks on Iranian targets in Syria on Monday, killing at least 11 people.

A Syrian military source said the country's air defense system intercepted successive waves of guided missiles, downing most of them before they were able to reach their targets, according to the country's state media SANA.

An Israeli military spokesperson also confirmed in a statement on Monday that Israel had struck Iranian targets in Syria, saying the move was retaliation for a rocket fired from Syria on Sunday.

Observers said on its website that the strikes have killed 11 people so far. The Russian military said four Syrian soldiers were among those killed, according to The Associated Press.

Yin Gang, a researcher from the Institute of West-Asian and African Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the main purpose of Israeli strikes is to drive away all remaining Iranian power in Syria.

He said Iran's weapons, received from Russia, may be transferred to Hezbollah in Lebanon and have posed a threat to Israel, which is a situation that Israel will never allow on its Northern border.

"Israel believes that the long-entrenched Iranian forces in Syria have threatened its security, and it wants the Iranian forces in Syria to leave or be wiped out," he said, adding that the missile strikes are "normal strikes" and part of Israeli strategy.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that his country has a defined policy "to harm Iranian entrenchment in Syria and to harm anyone who tries to harm us".

Zou Zhiqiang, a researcher from the Middle East Studies Institute at Shanghai International Studies University, said the recent announcement by the United States to withdraw troops from Syria has led to Israel becoming more tense and passive.

He said Israel has adopted a more high-profile airstrike strategy to maintain tougher pressure on Iranian forces.

"Previously, Israel would generally keep a low profile and admit nothing about its strikes on Syria. But the situation has changed and this time Israel publicly recognized the attacks while backing them up with verbal threats."

Zou said Israel's main concern in Syria has always been Iran's military presence and ties to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

"Especially when the situation of the Syrian war becomes clear, Israel starts to worry about Iran's long-term presence there and its further support for Hezbollah, or direct threats to Israel's security," he said. "Israel began its regular airstrikes and bombings against Syria in 2017, mainly targeting Iranian military forces and their ammunition and equipment. This time it is the same case."

The Israeli spokesperson said that fighter jets attacked Iranian Quds targets, including munition storage sites located at the Damascus International Airport.

The Quds Force is an elite unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, who directly participated in the Syrian civil war and played a key role in supporting the Syrian government among other forces. Zou said the Quds' purpose may also be part of a postwar layout, which is what Israel is most worried about.

The Israeli military said the strikes were in response to a surface-to-surface rocket that Iranian forces fired toward Israel on Sunday, which was intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system, over a ski resort in the Golan Heights.