Following the large-scale terrorist attack against Israel by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip, rockets have now also been fired at Israeli positions from neighboring Syria. The Israeli army said late on Tuesday that several rockets landed in open areas. Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah said it had previously fired a guided missile at an Israeli tank.
The Israeli military said it responded to the attacks on Syria with artillery and mortars. According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the attacks came from Palestinian groups in Syria who also work with Hezbollah in Lebanon. They fired grenades into the part of the Golan Heights occupied by Israel. In response, Israel attacked military positions and vehicles belonging to the Syrian government. Other Syrian activists also said Israel was targeting Syrian army positions. Initially there was no confirmation of this from Israel.
To prevent Israel’s arch-enemy Iran and allied militias such as Hezbollah from expanding their military influence in Syria, Israel’s air force is bombing targets in neighboring civil war-torn Syria with more frequency. Iran is one of the Syrian government’s most important allies in the civil war. From time to time, rockets also fly from Syria towards Israel.
According to a Hezbollah statement, the Lebanese attack was carried out as a “response to Israeli attacks.” The Israeli army said it had already responded to the launch of more than a dozen rockets into Israel with artillery fire and attacks on Hezbollah observation posts. However, Islamist Hamas claimed responsibility for the rocket fire from southern Lebanon. Initially there were no reports of casualties.
Hezbollah had already fired rockets at Israel on Monday. The Israeli army responded with artillery fire. Israeli soldiers had previously killed several armed suspects who had advanced into Israel from its northern neighbor. Hezbollah denied involvement in the incident. Security circles in Lebanon suspected that Palestinian militants were behind the attack on Israel.
Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, maintains close ties with Hezbollah, the powerful Shiite militia in Lebanon. Hamas also has great influence in Palestinian refugee camps.