Israeli soldiers take part in a military exercise near Moshav Kidmat Tsvi in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on April 3, 2023.
Jalaa Marey | AFP | beautiful pictures
The Israeli military said Israeli jets hit Syrian military targets on Sunday in response to rockets fired towards Israeli-controlled territory overnight, as violence flared up again. after cross-border gunfights during the week.
Syrian state media reported explosions in the vicinity of the capital Damascus as Israel said its forces continued to attack Syrian territory after six rockets were fired overnight towards the Golan Heights.
Israel said artillery and drone strikes hit missile launchers and then air strikes on a Syrian army compound, military radar systems and artillery posts.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said the Israeli military “considers the State of Syria responsible for all activities that occur in its territory and will not allow any attempt to violate Israel’s sovereignty.” “.
The Syrian Defense Ministry said its air defenses responded to Israeli attacks and intercepted several Israeli missiles. It said no casualties were reported with only physical damage caused by the strikes.
Sirens had sounded earlier near towns in the Golan Heights when the missile was launched from Syrian territory, but no damage or casualties were reported. Israel occupied the Golan Heights during the 1967 Middle East war and annexed the 1,200 square kilometer (460 sq mi) territory in 1981, a move not recognized by most of the international community.
Only three of the rockets entered Israeli-controlled territory, two landed on open ground and the third was intercepted by an air defense system, the military said.
Lebanon-based Al Mayadeen TV said the missile attacks were claimed by the Al-Quds Brigade, the armed wing of the Iran-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement.
On Thursday, more than 30 rockets were fired toward Israel from southern Lebanon, prompting cross-border counterattacks from Israel on sites linked to the Islamist movement Hamas in Lebanon and Gaza.
The cross-border exchanges come amid heightened tensions between Israeli and Palestinian groups following Israeli police raids in recent days on the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, which sparked outrage throughout the Arab world.
Palestinians protest against Israel’s attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque after performing prayers on the third Friday of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan at Al-Aqsa Mosque , in Jerusalem on April 7, 2023.
Anadolu agent | beautiful pictures
Israel said the operations were aimed at dislodging groups that police called extremists who barricaded themselves into the mosque armed with artillery and rocks.
But the attacks, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, provoked a backlash and concern even among Israel’s ally the United States, with cellphone footage from inside the church. Islam shows police beating worshipers.
The site in Jerusalem’s Old City, sacred to both Muslims and Jews, who call it the Temple Mount, has long been a hotbed, especially in regard to Jewish visitors. despite the ban on non-Muslim prayer on mosque grounds.
Clashes there in 2021 sparked a 10-day war between Israel and Hamas. Recent cross-border gunfights have awakened memories of that conflict.
Despite concerns about further violence around the mosque on Saturday, there were no reports of serious disturbances overnight.
In another incident, a Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli forces during a confrontation in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military and the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
