Israeli army launches strikes in Syria after rocket fire
Published: 05:04 PM,Apr 09,2023 | EDITED : 09:04 PM,Apr 09,2023
JERUSALEM: Israel launched artillery strikes on Syria on Sunday morning, the Israeli army announced, after several rockets were fired from there and landed in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Israel's retaliatory strike to rocket attacks from Syria -- which no one has claimed -- is the latest episode in escalating violence in the region.
'In response to the rockets fired from Syria at Israel earlier today, IDF Artillery is currently striking in Syrian territory,' the military said.
A drone was also 'currently striking the launchers in Syria from which rockets were launched into Israeli territory'.
Syrian state news agency SANA said the Israeli strikes took place around 5:00 am Sunday.
Citing an unnamed military source, SANA said Syria's military had 'intercepted the rockets... and brought down some of them'.
The surge in violence and unrest comes as the Muslim fasting month of Ramadhan, Jewish Passover, and Christian Easter coincide.
On Wednesday, Israeli police stormed the prayer hall of Al Aqsa mosque, Islam's third-holiest site, in a pre-dawn raid aimed at dislodging 'law-breaking youths masked agitators' they said had barricaded themselves inside.
The next day, more than 30 rockets were fired from Lebanese soil into Israel, which the Israeli army blamed on Palestinian groups.
Israel then bombarded Gaza and southern Lebanon, targeting 'infrastructures' that it said belonged to Hamas.
It was the biggest salvo fired from Lebanon since Israel fought a devastating 34-day war with Iran-backed militant group Hizbullah in 2006 and the first time Israel has confirmed an attack on Lebanese territory since April 2022.
Israel and Lebanon are technically in a state of war, and the ceasefire line is patrolled by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), deployed in the country's south.
On the Syrian side, Israel has recently intensified its raids targeting positions of pro-Iranian groups.
The current fever pitch follows violence on Wednesday, when Israeli riot police stormed the prayer hall of Al Aqsa mosque in a pre-dawn raid.
Since the beginning of January, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has claimed the lives of at least 92 Palestinians.
These figures include combatants and civilians, including minors.
Israel's retaliatory strike to rocket attacks from Syria -- which no one has claimed -- is the latest episode in escalating violence in the region.
'In response to the rockets fired from Syria at Israel earlier today, IDF Artillery is currently striking in Syrian territory,' the military said.
A drone was also 'currently striking the launchers in Syria from which rockets were launched into Israeli territory'.
Syrian state news agency SANA said the Israeli strikes took place around 5:00 am Sunday.
Citing an unnamed military source, SANA said Syria's military had 'intercepted the rockets... and brought down some of them'.
The surge in violence and unrest comes as the Muslim fasting month of Ramadhan, Jewish Passover, and Christian Easter coincide.
On Wednesday, Israeli police stormed the prayer hall of Al Aqsa mosque, Islam's third-holiest site, in a pre-dawn raid aimed at dislodging 'law-breaking youths masked agitators' they said had barricaded themselves inside.
The next day, more than 30 rockets were fired from Lebanese soil into Israel, which the Israeli army blamed on Palestinian groups.
Israel then bombarded Gaza and southern Lebanon, targeting 'infrastructures' that it said belonged to Hamas.
It was the biggest salvo fired from Lebanon since Israel fought a devastating 34-day war with Iran-backed militant group Hizbullah in 2006 and the first time Israel has confirmed an attack on Lebanese territory since April 2022.
Israel and Lebanon are technically in a state of war, and the ceasefire line is patrolled by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), deployed in the country's south.
On the Syrian side, Israel has recently intensified its raids targeting positions of pro-Iranian groups.
The current fever pitch follows violence on Wednesday, when Israeli riot police stormed the prayer hall of Al Aqsa mosque in a pre-dawn raid.
Since the beginning of January, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has claimed the lives of at least 92 Palestinians.
These figures include combatants and civilians, including minors.