JERUSALEM (AP) - Iranian forces based in Syria fired 20 rockets at Israeli front-line military positions in the Golan Heights early Thursday, the Israeli military said, triggering a heavy Israeli reprisal and escalating already heightened tensions in what appeared to be the most serious violence in years.

The Israeli military said its Iron Dome rocket defense system intercepted some of the incoming projectiles, while others caused only minimal damage. There were no Israeli casualties.

Syria’s capital of Damascus shook with sounds of explosions just before dawn, and firing by Syrian air defenses over the city was heard throughout the night. An Israeli official said Israel was targeting Iranian positions inside Syria. Syria’s state news agency SANA quoted a Syrian military official as saying Israeli missiles hit air defense positions, radar stations and a weapons warehouse, but claiming most incoming rockets were intercepted.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz quoted an unidentified security official as saying Israel’s attacks inside Syria were the most extensive since the two nations signed a disengagement agreement after the October war of 1973.

Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli military spokesman, said earlier that Iran’s Al Quds force fired the rockets at several Israeli bases, though he would not say how Israel determined the Iranian involvement. The incoming attack set off air raid sirens in the Israeli-controlled Golan, which was captured from Syria in the 1967 war.

Israel “views this Iranian attack very severely,” Conricus told reporters. He said Israel had responded, but did not provide details.

“This event is not over,” he said.

Syria’s state media said Syrian air defenses intercepted “hostile Israeli missiles” early Thursday that were fired over southwestern Damascus. Hours later, state-run Al-Ikhbariya TV broadcast a live feed of Syrian air defenses firing into the sky above the capital, and loud explosions and air defense firing were heard through the night.

Syrian activists reported Israeli airstrikes hitting targets near Damascus. One video posted online showed a large explosion and shrapnel flying in the air. Residents reported loud sounds that rocked their buildings. It was not immediately clear what was hit.

An Israeli army spokesman, Avichay Adraee, said on Twitter that Israel was “acting against Iranian targets inside Syria,” a rare admission by an Israeli official.

Al-Ikhbariya TV said Israel also targeted military posts in southern Suweida province, including an air base, and struck near Homs in central Syria. The state TV station said the attacks were foiled.

Iranian officials offered no immediate comment on Israel’s claim about the missile fire. Iranian state media reported on the attack and the subsequent Israeli strikes in Syria, relying on foreign news reports.

Syrian media earlier said the hostilities began with Israeli fire at Syrian positions in southern Syria from across the border. Pro-Syrian media said Syrian missiles then fired at Israeli forces. One TV station, Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen, said at least 50 missiles were fired from Syria at Israeli forces in the Golan Heights. Al-Ikhbariya TV said missiles targeted 10 Israeli positions.

Syrian media said it was the first time in years that Syrians had fired at Israeli forces in the Golan Heights.

Israel has been on heightened alert in recent days, anticipating an Iranian attack following Iranian vows to retaliate to what it says are recent Israeli strikes in Syria targeting Iranian outposts.

Late Tuesday, Syrian state media said Israel struck a military outpost near the capital of Damascus. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the missiles targeted depots and rocket launchers that likely belonged to Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard, killing at least 15 people, eight of them Iranians.

Last month, an attack on Syria’s T4 air base in Homs province killed seven Iranian military personnel. On April 30, Israel was said to have struck government outposts in northern Syria, killing more than a dozen pro-government fighters, many of them Iranians.

Israel has neither confirmed nor denied most of the airstrikes. But for months, it has repeatedly said it will not accept a permanent Iranian military presence in Syria.

In February, Israel shot down what it said was an armed Iranian drone that entered Israeli airspace. Israel responded by attacking anti-aircraft positions in Syria, but an Israeli warplane was shot down during the battle.

Iranian forces moved into Syria after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011 to back the forces of President Bashar Assad. As that war winds down, and Assad appears to be headed toward victory, Israel fears that Iran, along with tens of thousands of Iranian-backed Shiite militiamen, will carry out attacks against Israel. President Donald Trump’s announcement Tuesday that the U.S. was withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran has triggered uncertainty and threatened to spark more unrest in the Middle East.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Moscow on Wednesday to meet with President Vladimir Putin and discuss military coordination in Syria.

Russia has also sent forces to Syria to back Assad. But Israel and Russia have maintained close communications to prevent their air forces from coming into conflict.

Together with Putin, Netanyahu toured a parade celebrating the anniversary of the World War II victory over the Nazis and then met the Russian president at the Kremlin for consultations.

After 10 hours together, Netanyahu said he conveyed Israel’s obligation to defend itself against Iranian aggression.

“I think that matters were presented in a direct and forthright manner, and this is important. These matters are very important to Israel’s security at all times and especially at this time,” he said.

Israel views Iran as its archenemy, citing Iran’s calls for Israel’s destruction, support for militant groups across the region and growing military activity in neighboring Syria. Israel has warned that it will not allow Iran to establish a permanent military presence in Syria.

Israel’s military went on high alert Tuesday and bomb shelters were ordered open in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights following reports of “irregular activity of Iranian forces in Syria.” After an uneventful night, the military on Wednesday called on residents to return to “full civilian routine,” meaning studies and excursions would continue as usual, although the shelters would remain open.

Amos Gilead, a retired senior Israeli defense official, told a security conference in the coastal town of Herzliya that Iran’s intentions in Syria meant a wider conflagration may only be a matter of time.

“They want to build a second Hezbollah-stan,” he said, referring to the Iranian-backed Lebanese Shiite militant group that last fought a war with Israel in 2006. “They are determined to do it and we are determined to prevent it. It means we are on a collision course.”

Associated Press writers Sarah El Deeb and Zeina Karam in Beirut contributed to this report. </s> (JERUSALEM) — In an extraordinary statement, the Israeli military confirmed early Monday that it attacked Iranian military targets in Syria, hours after carrying out a rare daylight air raid near the Damascus International Airport.

The statement was issued hours after Israeli missile defenses intercepted an incoming missile over the Golan Heights in the wake of the airport raid.

“We have started striking Iranian Quds targets in Syrian territory,” the military statement said. “We warn the Syrian Armed Forces against attempting to harm Israeli forces or territory.”

Until now Israel has largely refrained from public admissions of its covert military operations in neighboring Syria, in order to avoid large-scale involvement in the eight-year civil war.

The Syrian military said Israel carried out intensive airstrikes with successive waves of guided missiles shortly after 1 a.m., but added that Syrian air defenses destroyed most of the missiles before they reached their targets.

On Sunday, Syrian state media said air defenses repelled an Israeli air raid near the international airport south of Damascus. State TV said Syria’s air defenses “prevented” the attack from achieving its goals. It said Israel targeted six missiles on an area near Damascus International Airport, of which five were shot down and one diverted to nearby empty farmland.

Residents of the capital said they heard five explosions early Sunday afternoon, apparently the sound of air defenses firing into the air.

The Israeli military had initially declined to comment on the airstrike, though it said a rocket fired at the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights was intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome defense system.

Israeli warplanes have used Lebanon’s airspace recently to strike deep inside Syria, including attacking a warehouse near Damascus International Airport earlier this month, according to Syrian state media.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently confirmed that Israel has struck hundreds of targets in Syria linked to Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group, including a weapons facility two weeks ago. Iran and Hezbollah are allied with the Syrian government in the civil war.

Two hours after the reports that Israel’s Iron Dome intercepted a rocket fired toward the Golan Heights, Netanyahu, who currently is on a visit to Chad, said in a statement: “We have a defined policy: to harm Iranian entrenchment in Syria and to harm anyone who tries to harm us.”

Earlier Sunday, a roadside bomb went off south of Damascus without causing casualties, state media reported. The SANA news agency said the blast targeted a military checkpoint on a main highway during rush hour.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which closely monitors Syria’s war, said the bomb targeted the vehicle of a “security personality” that it did not identify. The Observatory’s chief, Rami Abdurrahman, said it was unclear whether the individual was killed or wounded. “It was not a random act,” he added.

Attacks have been rare in Damascus since Syrian government forces captured the last rebel-held neighborhoods and suburbs of the capital last year. Bombings have left hundreds dead over the course of the nearly eight-year civil war.

In the northern Syrian town of Afrin, a blast aboard a bus killed at least three people.

The attack came on the anniversary of a Turkish military operation that evicted Kurdish fighters from the town and displaced tens of thousands of its residents. The town now is under the control of Turkey-backed Syrian opposition fighters.

The Observatory said three people were killed and nine wounded in the explosion. The Syrian Civil Defense, an opposition-linked group known as the White Helmets, said that the blast killed “martyrs” and that others were wounded and rushed to hospitals. </s> The Israeli military has confirmed it attacked Iranian military targets in Syria, hours after carrying out a rare daylight air raid near the Damascus International Airport.

The statement was issued hours after Israeli missile defences intercepted an incoming missile over the Golan Heights in the wake of the airport raid.

“We have started striking Iranian Quds targets in Syrian territory,” the military statement said. “We warn the Syrian Armed Forces against attempting to harm Israeli forces or territory.”

Until now Israel has largely refrained from public admissions of its covert military operations in neighbouring Syria, in order to avoid large-scale involvement in the eight-year civil war. Eleven people were said to have been killed (SANA/AP)

The Syrian military said Israel carried out intensive airstrikes with successive waves of guided missiles shortly after 1am local time (11pm GMT), but added that Syrian air defences destroyed most of the missiles before they reached their targets.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Monday’s strikes lasted for nearly an hour and were the most intense Israeli attacks since May. It said 11 people were killed in the strikes.

The Russian military said four Syrian troops were among those killed.

On Sunday, Syrian state media said air defences repelled an Israeli air raid near the international airport south of Damascus.

State TV said Syria’s air defences “prevented” the attack from achieving its goals. It said Israel targeted six missiles on an area near Damascus International Airport, of which five were shot down and one diverted to nearby empty farmland.

Residents of the capital said they heard five explosions early on Sunday afternoon, apparently the sound of air defences firing into the air. The Israeli military said the missile strike which prompted the response was ‘pre-meditated’ (SANA/AP)

The Israeli military had initially declined to comment on the airstrike, though it said a rocket fired at the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights was intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome defence system.

Israeli warplanes have used Lebanon’s airspace recently to strike deep inside Syria, including attacking a warehouse near Damascus International Airport earlier this month, according to Syrian state media.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently confirmed that Israel has struck hundreds of targets in Syria linked to Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group, including a weapons facility two weeks ago.

Iran and Hezbollah are allied with the Syrian government in the civil war.

Two hours after the reports that Israel’s Iron Dome intercepted a rocket fired toward the Golan Heights, Mr Netanyahu, who currently is on a visit to Chad, said in a statement: “We have a defined policy: to harm Iranian entrenchment in Syria and to harm anyone who tries to harm us.”

Earlier on Sunday, a roadside bomb went off in the south of Damascus without causing casualties, state media reported.

The SANA news agency said the blast targeted a military checkpoint on a main road during rush hour.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which closely monitors Syria’s war, said the bomb targeted the vehicle of a “security personality” that it did not identify.

The Observatory’s chief, Rami Abdurrahman, said it was unclear whether the individual was killed or wounded. “It was not a random act,” he added.

Attacks have been rare in Damascus since Syrian government forces captured the last rebel-held neighbourhoods and suburbs of the capital last year.

Bombings have left hundreds dead over the course of the nearly eight-year civil war. </s> This article is more than 3 months old

This article is more than 3 months old

Israel has carried out airstrikes in Syria in response to rare rocket fire from the neighbouring country. A war monitor reported that 10 people were killed, including Syrian soldiers and foreign fighters.

Israel’s army said two rockets were fired from Syria at Mount Hermon, in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, late on Saturday and one was “located within Israeli territory”.

In response, the army attacked two Syrian artillery batteries, a number of observation and intelligence posts on the Golan Heights and an SA-2 aerial defence battery, it said.

The Israeli attack left three Syrian soldiers and seven foreign fighters dead, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

According to the UK-based monitor, they died in missile strikes close the capital, Damascus, where Syrian troops, Iranian forces and Hezbollah fighters are stationed. The observatory did not specify the nationality of the foreign fighters killed.

Syria’s official news agency Sana quoted a military source as saying anti-aircraft defences fired against “enemy missiles” from Israel targeting positions in south-west Damascus.

The Israeli army said its own aerial defence systems were activated due to the Syrian anti-aircraft fire, but none of the Syrian fire hit Israel.

Israel plans to name settlement on occupied land after Trump Read more

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said he had ordered the strike. “We won’t tolerate fire at our territory and will respond forcefully to any aggression against us,” he said.

Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria, most of them against what it says are Iranian and Hezbollah targets. Israel says it is determined to prevent its arch-foe Iran from entrenching itself militarily in Syria, where Tehran backs President Bashar al-Assad in the country’s eight-year war, which has killed more than 370,000 people.

Israel insists it has the right to continue to target positions in Syria held by Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah out of self-defence.

On 27 May, Syria said Israel carried out a missile attack in Quneitra. The Israeli army said it was retaliation for anti-aircraft fire targeting one of its fighter jets.

Syrian air defence batteries intercepted projectiles from Israel and downed a number of them on 17 May, according to Sana.

The Syrian province of Quneitra includes the Golan Heights, most of which is occupied and annexed by Israel.

In January, Israel hit Iranian positions in Syria in response to missile fire. According to the observatory, 21 people, mainly Iranians, were killed in those raids.

The latest reported strike comes at a time of rising tensions between Iran and the US. The standoff has been simmering since the US withdrew from the 2015 nuclear treaty between Iran and world powers. In recent weeks the US has accused Iran of alleged threats and deployed an aircraft carrier group and B-52 bombers to the Gulf. </s> An Israeli military spokesman said the army "responded with artillery towards the positions that launched the attack" and that it ordered the evacuation of Israel's Mt. Hermon ski resort on the Golan Heights after the rockets struck.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility or any report of casualties.

"It does not seem that it was errant fire," Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner, an Israeli army spokesman, told Reuters.

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters U.S. officials "do not want to see an escalation of the situation." Psaki said the United States calls "upon all parties to avoid any action that would jeopardize the long-held ceasefire between Israel and Syria."

"We support Israel's legitimate right to self defense and have been clear about our concerns over the regional instability caused by the crisis in Syria," Psaki added.

Meanwhile, Iran has told the United States last week's air strike crossed "red lines" and that it will respond, IRNA news agency on Tuesday quoted a senior official as saying.

"We told the Americans that the leaders of the Zionist regime should await the consequences of their act," deputy foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said.

"In this message to the Americans we said that the Zionist regime had crossed our red lines," he said.

In the Israeli air strike on a Hezbollah convoy near the Golan Heights on Jan. 18, an Iranian Revolutionary Guard general, Mohammed Allahdadi, was killed along with a Hezbollah commander and the son of the group's late military leader, Imad Moughniyeh.

Both Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran and fought a 34-day war with Israel in 2006, and the Revolutionary Guards vowed to avenge the deaths.

Since the air strike, troops and civilians in northern Israel and the Golan Heights have been on heightened alert and Israel has deployed an Iron Dome rocket interceptor unit near the Syrian border.

Israel captured the Golan from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war. Mortar shells and rockets have struck the heights numerous times during Syria's nearly four-year-old civil war.

Israel has said some of those incidents deliberately targeted its soldiers while others were spillover from fighting between rebels and forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. </s> The picture above almost looks like shooting stars. If that were so, it would be beautiful, but it’s not a shooting star. It’s death raining over the Levant. The Israeli military just attacked Syria with a barrage of missile strikes, in what their media is claiming is the “most extensive” in decades.

Reports are saying that 23 fighters have been killed, Israeli media claiming that 18 of them were foreigners. In addition, Israel is claiming that they targeted “weapons storage, logistics sites and intelligence centers used by elite Iranian forces in Syria”. Overall, the most recent strikes on Syria have been framed as an assault against Iranian bases, essentially a continuation of what occurred yesterday, but on a larger scale.

Israel is claiming that Iranian troops had previously launched 20 rockets from Syrian soil at Israeli military outposts in the Golan Heights. It is worth noting that the Golan Heights is actually Syrian soil, occupied illegally by Israel. Moreover, this is noted as the first time Israel directly accused Iran of firing missiles towards Israeli territory, according to Israeli news site Haaretz.

Iran, however, is claiming it has no bases in Syria, and needless to say, completely denies attacking Israel:

We should pay close attention to what Israel claims, regardless if it’s a lie, because we can predict their next actions, based on the events they are claiming to react to. For example, if Israel claims Syria bombed one of their outposts, regardless of the truth, we can be sure an Israel strike is incoming.

This means the official Israeli narrative will say that henceforth, Iran has now directly attacked Israel. For Israel, and the Zionist cheerleading squad, this means they get to play their favorite excuse for war crimes, a neverending chorus of…wait for it…

Don’t take my word for it, the infamous phrase as already been spouted from the White House and Downing Street.

That means this is only the beginning.

While all peoples have the right to defend themselves, Israel has an interesting definition of defense…it usually involves bombing innocent civilians, because a terrorist cell could have theoretically been hiding nearby, with a 1% chance of actually posing a threat to Israel. (And the jury is still out on whether or not that terrorist cell would be funded by Israel in the first place).

Speaking of actual defense, Israel is claiming it dealt a major blow to Syria’s air defenses, whereas Russia said that of the 60 air-to-ground missiles Israel fired, more than half were destroyed by Syrian air defenses, which the video below from the WashPo shows in action.

What is particularly disturbing about all this, is not only the tragic events, but how it was all framed by Israel. We must pay very close attention to their claims. While it’s tempting for some to look at this as a simple situation, Israel wants an excuse to attack Syria, so they just invent a story about Iranian troops, to justify attacking Syria – the real target, there is more to this story than that.

Listen to the words of the Israeli defense ministry spokesperson:

From their words, it’s clear they are framing this all as an attack against Iran, which according to them, just so happens to be “On Syrian soil”. This time, for once, it actually appears that Syria was not the direct target.

To be sure, Israel hates Syria, and strikes her numerous times, but this time, the focus was so blatantly on Iran. In the past, when striking Syria, Israel felt no need to justify it, they often did not comment at all. But this time, they are speaking extensively, more than usual, and the line that is repeated is: Iran, Iran, Iran.

So while it’s tempting to claim Occam’s Razor, and say “But Israel is simply lying, there is no proof there were Iranian troops in those places, clearly the goal is to attack Syria, and Iran is used as the excuse.”

That was often the case in the past, a fake threat was invented as an excuse to blame Syria, but I believe it is the opposite, this time, based on the way the story is framed.

I believe this time, the goal was to attack Iran, and the chaos in Syria an excuse to begin this attack; a fight Israel has been wanting for years.

It doesn’t matter if Iran was even present in Syria or not, if Israel struck them or not, all that matters is Israel said so.

The truth does not matter to them, its the narrative they push which they intend to make the truth. So long as enough people believe the narrative, or at the very least are apathetic to the idea of war, the war propagandist has all they need.

One of the most important mistakes truthful people make, when dealing with untruthful parties, is assuming they operate by the same principals, or at the least, that a truthful person can predict the actions of an untruthful one by simply saying: “What would I do in this situation?”.

But it doesn’t work that way. Lairs and propagandists don’t think like normal people. For them, it does not matter what the truth is, all that matters is how is the situation framed. All that matters is their narrative.

Now, that the narrative has been set, everything moves forward. Donald Trump has already canceled the Iran deal, against the advice of almost every major player save for Israel.

Numerous sources including Israeli media, and AntiWar.com are reporting that Israel has made it clear, it hopes the cancelation of the Iran deal will lead to regime change in Iran. Israeli media is also reporting that Trump is “committed to regime change” in Iran, as the “only way to achieve peace in the Middle East”.

That is truly Orwellian.

While regime change was always the goal, the Iran deal provided a possibility that some people in the West may choose to align themselves with the right side of history. Now, Trump has clearly set US policy where it traditionally has been, united with Israeli policy in the Middle East.

The recent Israeli strikes in Syria were specifically targeted at Iran, according to the way the narrative was framed, regardless of the reality on the ground. It’s important to understand their goal of regime change in Iran is a separate issue to the war in Syria, albeit a connected issue

If one views these specific strikes as simply a normal part of the War in Syria, it blurs the particular objectives of Israel. While Iran is interconnected, as an ally of Syria, Iran is not the ruler of Syria, nor is Syria the proxy of Iran.

Syria is Syria, an ancient and sovereign nation, whose people have felt a brotherly connection to Russians since the 10th century, when Russia joined the same Orthodox Christian faith as was practiced in Syria since the first century.

Syria is being targeted in this War for a variety of reasons, namely, her refusal to obey the globalist powers, as well as her good relationship with Russia and Iran.

Most importantly, if you look at the geography, Syria is a keystone state, that represents an alignment of powers from the Mediterranean Sea, the borders of the former Soviet Union, and China. This line intersects Israel and Saudi Arabia, making it not so good for the Deep State’s oil and power geopolitics, but an ideal hub for the New Silk Road and the Multipolar world.

This is the big picture of what is happening in Syria, as well as the world. Once again the Levant becomes the center of humanity’s development, as it was at the beginning of man, so it may be at the end.

While that is the big picture of what is happening in Syria, and everything is interconnected, these most recent strikes seem targeted at Iran, and part of the overall goal of regime change. We must not lose sight of the details, while looking at the big picture, lest the whole thing become blurry. </s> BREAKING: Israel STRIKES Syria After Mortars Were Lobbed Into Golan Heights!

In a swift response to at least ten missiles being launched from Syria that hit inside Israeli territory, the Israel Air Force on Saturday carried out retributive strikes targeting the positions from which the mortars were tracked to have originated.

“Furthermore, the IAF targeted two tanks belonging to the Syrian regime in the Northern Syrian Golan Heights,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement explaining their response.

Earlier on Saturday, the IDF informed Israeli civilians to stay clear from the border area near Quneitra, which is the small village near the Golan Height’s border close to southern Syria and falls within a zone formerly disarmed by the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF).

The IDF believes that the mortar shells that landed in Israel were most likely rounds that were off target, launched by groups fighting each other across the border in Syria.

Local Syrian media reports reported claims that two people were killed in Quneitra by the Israeli retaliatory response, although these reports have yet to be properly verified.

“Due to the unacceptable breach of Israeli sovereignty, an official protest has been filed with UNDOF,” according to the IDF.

It still amazes me beyond belief that so many in the world do not sympathize with the nation of Israel. They have tried giving up land and also living with those who wish nothing but extermination for Israel. How can you retain any peace when one side doesn’t even consider you human?

The land they are on isn’t occupied. It is THEIR ancestral home and one they have been willing to share time and time again. But as evidence of the constant attacks, the feeling isn’t mutual. </s> DAMASCUS, Syria — Israeli jets fired two missiles from Lebanese airspace toward the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus early Wednesday, the official Syrian news agency said, in a strike on an unknown target that caused loud explosions.

The news agency, SANA, said the missiles struck the Sabboura area, west of Damascus, and did not cause any casualties. Citing an unnamed military source, SANA did not specify what the missiles struck. Damascus residents reported on social media hearing loud blasts around 2 a.m.

The Israeli military declined to comment, but Israel is widely believed to have carried out a number of airstrikes in Syria in the past few years that have targeted advanced weapons systems, including Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles and Iranian-made missiles. The arms are believed to be destined for the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah militant group, a close ally of the Syrian government and a fierce enemy of Israel.

The strikes come days after Israeli aircraft hit a machine gun-mounted vehicle inside Syria, killing four Islamic State-affiliated militants inside after they opened fire on a military patrol on the Israeli-controlled side of the Golan Heights. The violence appeared to be a rare case of an intentional shooting ambush by Islamic militants targeting Israeli troops.

Israel has been largely unaffected by the Syrian civil war raging next door, suffering only sporadic incidents of spillover fire over the frontier that Israel has generally dismissed as tactical errors of the Assad regime. Israel has responded to these cases lightly, with limited reprisals on Syrian positions in response to the errant fire. </s> Syrian air defenses have responded to apparent missiles attacks in the vicinity of Damascus and Homs, Sana reports, with its military source claiming that a number of ‘hostile targets’ have been intercepted.

Around the time of the incident, Israeli aircraft were spotted making low-altitude flights through the Lebanese airspace, TV-channel Al-Mayadeen and Al-Masdar News report.

Israel which repeatedly carried out cross-border raids into Syria in the past, but rarely admitted them, has yet to comment on the latest incident. However, in recent weeks, Tel Aviv confirmed striking multiple Syrian Army installations, in retaliation to cross-border tensions surrounding the occupied Golan Heights.

Damascus on several occasions urged the UN to put an end to these blatant sovereignty violations by Israel. The Syrian government believes that Israeli strikes only bolster the fighting spirit of the remaining terrorists in the country.

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Syrian and Iranian forces fire 20 missiles at the Israel Defense Forces positioned in the disputed territory of the Golan Heights, prompting air raid sirens in northern Israel. The IDF reports the Iron Dome missile defence system has intercepted a number of missiles and reports no injuries. Israeli forces respond with artillery into Syria.