REUTERS
Israel struck 'almost all of the Iranian
infrastructure in Syria,' defense chief says
Revenge by Iran could push Israel to terminate
Tehran's presence in Syria
Donald Trump just put Israel in immediate danger
Israel attacked dozens of Iranian targets in Syria
in what the military said was the most extensive strike in the neighboring
country in decades. The strike was carried out in response to a barrage of 20
rockets that were fired from Syria at Israeli military outposts.
The Israeli military accused the Revolutionary
Guards' Al Quds force and its commander, Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, of
launching the attack at the Israeli Golan Heights. This is the first time
Israel has directly accused Iran of firing toward Israeli territory.
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Four of the rockets were intercepted by Israel's
Iron Dome air defense system and the rest of the rockets exploded on Syrian
territory, the military said. Israel said there were no casualties in the
attack.
Israel said its targets included weapons storage,
logistics sites and intelligence centers used by elite Iranian forces in Syria.
It also said it destroyed five Syrian air-defense systems after coming under
heavy fire. It said none of its warplanes were hit
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Lebanon's Al Mayadeen, a TV network viewed as
pro-Assad, Hezbollah and their allies, reported that 28 Israeli F-15s and F-16s
took part in the strike, firing more than 60 missiles. Russia's Defense
Ministry says Syria shot down more than half of Israeli missiles fired in the
strike.
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Thursday
morning that Israel has struck "all of the Iranian infrastructure in
Syria." Lieberman said that Israel does not seek escalation, but added
that it won't allow Iran to turn Syria into a "forward base" against
Israel.
A source in the Israeli security establishment said
this attack was the largest carried out by Israel since it signed a
disengagement agreement with Syria in May 1974. The Israeli military warned
Syria not to respond to its attack.
Map of targets of Israeli strike in Syria
Map of targets of Israeli strike in Syria
Russia is reported to have been informed in advance of the Israeli
attack.
There was no immediate word on Iranian casualties. Reports said that
there were several casualties as a result of the Israeli strike and that
explosions were heard near the Syrian capital of Damascus.
8 Iranians killed in alleged Israeli airstrike on Syrian base near
Damascus ■ Israeli actions thwart Iran revenge- for now ■ Donald Trump
just put Israel in immediate danger | Analysis
Reports in Syria said that Israel has also struck army posts as
position used by Hezbollah and Iranian-backed militias in the Syrian Golan,
near the Druze village Khader and Khan Arnabah, close to the border with
Israel. The reports said that the rockets that struck Israel overnight were
fired from those posts.
Tensions along the Israel-Syria border
The rocket barrage was fired from Syria at Israel at around midnight
Thursday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Israel has
attacked targets of the Syrian military on the outskirts of Quneitra in the
Golan Heights.
Shortly thereafter siren alerts sounded in communities in the north
and center of the Golan Heights in northern Israel. The Home Front Command
released a reminder on safety regulations to residents of the area; some
reported hearing explosions.
The Golan Regional Council released a statement saying that several
towns in the Golan were targeted by rocket fire and that residents of those
towns are requested to stay in shelters until notified otherwise.
Over the past month, tensions have been high along the Israeli border
with Syria and the army has increased security measures in the area, deploying
more Iron Dome batteries across the northern region.
On Wednesday, the Syrian Observatory said eight Iranians were among 15
killed in a strike carried out a day earlier by Israel. The strike reportedy
targeted Iranian missiles aimed at Israel.
The rocket launcher from the Israeli air force's perspective, moments
before the rockets were launched, May 10, 2018
The rocket launcher from the Israeli air force's perspective, moments
before the rockets were launched, May 10, 2018IDF Spokesperson
The Israeli military had anticipated that after U.S. President Donald
Trump announced that he was withdrawing from the Iranian nuclear accord, Israel
was likely to be targeted by rocket fire and Iran would try to retaliate for an
attack last month on the Syrian T4 air base in which seven Iranians were
killed. However, the military has predicted that such an Iranian retaliation
would not lead to a full-fledged war.
This is the first time Israel directly accuses Iran of firing towards
Israeli territory. During the Syrian Civil War, rockets were fired at Israel
from Syria several times, usually by groups in southern Syria that are
affiliated with Iran, Hezbollah and the Assad regime.
Tehran has issued several threats over the past month, saying that it
would hurt Israel in response to a slew of attacks that were ascribed to the
Israeli air force.
A U.S. State Department official responded to the escalation on
Wednesday, telling Haaretz that U.S. wishes to reiterate Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo's statement from last week in which he stressed the U.S. support of
Israel against the Iranian threat.
"We stand with Israel in the fight against Iran’s malign
activities and we strongly support Israel’s sovereign right to defend itself.
If true [evidence provided by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding
Iran's nuclear activity in recent years], this only bolsters our decision to
terminate the JCPOA. Iran will have showed the world its true intentions. Let
there be no doubt."
French President Emmanuel Macron called for a deescalation of tensions
in the Middle East on Thursday. "The president has been kept regularly
updated. He calls for a de-escalation in the situation," Macron's office
said in a statement.
This attack comes on the heels of a Syrian report Tuesday accusing
Israel of carrying out an attack on a military base south of Damascus, which
was used by Iranian forces. According to reports, Israeli fighter jets entered
Syrian airspace and struck Iranian missiles aimed at Israel.
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/iranian-forces-in-syria-fire-20-rockets-at-israeli-army-outposts-on-golan-heights-1.6073938
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