Israel was responsible for an explosion at a Syrian air base near the city of Latakia on Thursday, an unnamed Obama administration official confirmed to CNN.

As of this writing, the official has not provided details, and Israeli officials have not confirmed that it was their jets that carried out the strike.

"We don't refer to foreign reports," an Israeli Defense spokeswoman told CNN.

Earlier in the day, Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post had reported that the base had been destroyed by a missile fired from the sea, but did not confirm who was responsible.

Al-Arabiya had also reported earlier on Thursday that Israel was behind the attack, citing unnamed sources. 

According to CNN and Al-Arabiya, the target of the strike was missiles Israel believed to be headed to Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.

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