Boris Johnson
Boris JohnsonReuters

Britain on Thursday warned against "further escalations" after Iranian rocket attacks against Israeli forces and retaliatory air strikes by Israel on what it said were Iranian targets in Syria.

"It is crucial to avoid any further escalations, which would be in no one's interest," Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said in a statement.

Johnson's statement followed the firing of 20 rockets by Iranian forces stationed in Syria at Israeli territory Wednesday night. Four of the projectiles were shot down by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, while the remaining rockets fell short and landed within Syrian territory.

In response, the Israeli Air Force struck roughly a dozen Iranian and Assad regime targets inside Syria. Russian sources claimed 28 Israeli aircraft fired 60 missiles at the targets in Syria, killing 23 people, including 18 Iranians and 5 Syrian soldiers. Israel's Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman stated Thursday that the majority of Iran's military infrastructure in Syria was destroyed in the strikes.