Israel hits Syria targets after missiles fired at Golan Heights
Jerusalem, Apr 9 (EFE).- Israel struck several targets in Syria early Sunday after rockets had been launched into the Golan Heights, the Israeli military announced, amid heightened tensions in the region.
The attacks from Syria were carried out in two barrages on Saturday night, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said. Three rockets were launched in the first, with one landing in the occupied Golan Heights, while in the second, two rockets “crossed into Israeli territory” and one was intercepted.
“IDF warplanes attacked targets in Syrian territory, including a military compound of the 4th division, radar and artillery positions used by the Syrian army,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
“This follows the attack by the IDF using artillery forces and remotely manned aircraft on the launchers in Syria, from which the shooting was carried out at Israel,” it added.
The missiles fired from Syria were the first since 2019 and come two days after Palestinian militias launched some 30 rockets from southern Lebanon and over a dozen from the Gaza Strip.
Israel responded to that rocket barrage by striking Hamas targets both in the coastal enclave and in southern Lebanon.
According to Syrian media reports, Israeli jets also bombed areas near Damascus.
Israel has intensified its airstrikes on Syria in the last month, with the most recent coming on Tuesday in the suburbs of the capital, killing two civilians.
“The IDF considers the Syrian state responsible for everything that happens on its territory and will not allow attempts to violate Israel’s,” the Israeli army warned.
The Golan Heights is a strategically important region that was seized by Israel in 1967 and annexed in 1981.
The missile attacks on Israel’s northern border come amid a major uptick of violence in the region, with several Palestinian attacks that left three dead in two days, and clashes between the Israeli police and Muslim worshippers at the al-Aqsa mosque in occupied east Jerusalem.
On Sunday, hundreds of Palestinians barricaded themselves inside the mosque following the holy month of Ramadan’s overnight evening prayers, while thousands of Jewish worshippers gathered at the nearby Western Wall for a priestly blessing marking Passover, a major Jewish holiday.
Israeli police abandoned plans to evict the Palestinians inside the mosque to avoid a repeat of clashes from last week, when 350 Palestinians were detained and 30 others were wounded after Israeli forces stormed al-Aqsa and attacked Palestinians.
That incident triggered the armed militias operating in the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon to fire missiles at Israeli territory.
Dozens of Jews also entered the mosque compound in groups of 20 escorted by police, angering Palestinians and the Muslim faithful.
The Jerusalem holy site, or al-Haram al-Sharif, is Islam’s third most sacred site. To Jews, it is known as the Temple Mount, the holiest shrine where Judaism’s ancient temples once stood. EFE
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