A total of 202 strikes were carried out in neighbouring Syria, the official said, all of which involved "military targets, most of them belonging to the (Iranian) Revolutionary Guards."

Around 800 missiles and bombs were used in the strikes, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity to confirm the details first reported in various Israeli media.

Israel has pledged to prevent its main enemy Iran from entrenching itself militarily in Syria, where Tehran is backing President Bashar al-Assad in the ongoing civil war.

A series of strikes that have killed Iranians in Syria have been attributed to Israel in recent months, but the Israeli military rarely confirms them.

Israel has previously acknowledged carrying out dozens of strikes in Syria against what it describes as advanced arms deliveries to Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Shiite group.

Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, is another of Israel's enemies which is backing Assad in the Syrian conflict.

The rare confirmation of strikes comes after Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman signalled his country could hit Iranian targets in Iraq if they threatened Israel.

"We will face any Iranian threat, no matter where it comes from," Lieberman said Monday.

The defence minister was speaking following reports that Iran had provided ballistic missiles to allied Shiite militias in Iraq in recent months.

"Our freedom of action is total," Lieberman added.

The Israeli military official did not comment directly on those reports on Tuesday, but said the army was aware of missile transfers from Iran to Iraq and then on to Syria.