Israel says the Syrian army fired missiles at its jets but denies claim that aircrafts were downed

Israel has denied claims by the Syrian army that it downed an Israeli plane and drone on Tuesday, Reuters reports.

Earlier on Tuesday, Israel had struck the Syrian military after stray mortar fire hit the Golan Heights, according to Haaretz.

An Israel Defense Forces spokesman told Haaretz that two surface-to-air missiles were fired from Syria as response to the Israeli strike but that the Israeli jets were not struck.

"At no point was the safety of (Israeli) aircraft compromised," the Israeli military said in a statement, Reuters reports.

The strike came hours after a ceasefire brokered by the US and Russia went into effect in Syria.

But Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had already hinted on Monday he would continue recovering "every area from the terrorists," and would continue doing so "without hesitation, regardless of any internal or external circumstances."