Israel struck several targets inside Syria in retaliation for four rockets that hit the northern Galilee and Golan Heights late Thursday afternoon, The Times of Israel reported today.
The Israeli military said it fired artillery shells at several Syrian targets Thursday evening, hours after four rockets were fired into Israel from across the border, hitting northern Israel and sparking several fires.
Media reports in Syria said at least four Israeli shells were fired at Syrian military positions in the Quneitra area in the Syrian Golan. …
The army had earlier blamed Syrian operatives of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group for the rocket attack and said they were receiving orders and finances from Iran.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which threatened Israel earlier this week over the detention of Mohammed Allaan, a suspected member of the group who recently ended a two-month hunger strike, denies the charge.
Arab media reported that a number of casualties, including fatalities, resulted from the Israeli retaliation.
According to the Times, if the rockets had been fired from Syria, it would be the first time since 1973 that there was deliberate fire from the country into Israeli territory.
This Tuesday, during a visit to Israel’s northern border with top military officials, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Iran is sending money to terrorist organizations along Israel’s borders, which “will be used for one stated purpose — to destroy Israel.” Netanyahu cautioned that this funding will only increase as the nuclear deal negotiated between Tehran and the P5+1 powers is implemented and Iran receives billions in sanctions relief.
In April, the IDF struck and killed four infiltrators from Syria who were attempting to plant a bomb at the Israel-Syria border.
In January, Israel reportedly hit a convoy carrying high-ranking Hezbollah and Iranian military officials, killing Hezbollah commander Jihad Mughniyeh and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps General Mohammad Ali Allahdadi. A Hezbollah cross-border attack killed two IDF soldiers patrolling the Israel-Lebanon border a week and a half later.
[Photo: Israel Defense Forces / Flickr ]