DAMASCUS, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army said Israeli F-15 warplanes carried out the attack on the T-4 air base in central Syria before daybreak Monday by firing missiles from the Lebanese airspace, according to the state TV.

The Israeli warplanes fired several rockets from inside the Lebanese airspace and targeted the T-4 airbase in the eastern countryside of the Homs province in central Syria.

The Syrian air defenses responded to the attack, destroying several rockets before reaching their destination.

It was initially thought that the United States carried out the attack, as it has recently threatened retaliation against the Syrian army over allegations made by the rebels about the use of chlorine gas in a recent attack on the Douma district, the last rebel-held area in Eastern Ghouta countryside of Damascus.