Aller au contenu principal

Israeli rockets hit south-western Syria: reports

The strikes, which have yet to be confirmed by Israel, mark latest incursion by the country into Syria
An Israeli soldier on alert in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights near Syria's Quneitra (AFP)
Par MEE staff

The Israeli military on Sunday fired two rockets into Syria's Quneitra governorate which borders the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, according to Lebanese media.

Though the army has declined to comment, the Lebanese MTV television channel reported that the missiles targeted a rocket-launching cell that was preparing to fire at Israel. It was not immediately apparent who was responsible for the apparent cell.

Earlier on Sunday, according to a Lebanese army statement, Israeli soldiers hurled smoke grenades and tear gas into Lebanese territory after four Israeli army vehicles approached the border. Three Lebanese soldiers suffered smoke inhalation as a result.

In the statement, the army said it launched a complaint with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Since the start of the civil war in Syria in 2011, Israel has made repeated, though infrequent, incursions into Syrian-controlled territory, ostensibly targeting weaponry that could potentially end up in the hands of the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah.

The most recent strike was in December, when Israeli warplanes struck weapons warehouses near Damascus, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group. Two members of Hezbollah were reportedly killed in the 8 December attack.

Hezbollah’s secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah warned on Friday that further attacks from Israelis on Syrian territory would lead to retaliation.

"The repeated bombings that struck several targets in Syria are a major violation, and we consider that any strike against Syria is a strike against the whole of the resistance axis, not just against Syria," Nasrallah told Al-Mayadeen television in Beirut.

"The axis is capable of responding,” he said, referring to Syria, Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas. “It could happen any time.”

Middle East Eye propose une couverture et une analyse indépendantes et incomparables du Moyen-Orient, de l’Afrique du Nord et d’autres régions du monde. Pour en savoir plus sur la reprise de ce contenu et les frais qui s’appliquent, veuillez remplir ce formulaire [en anglais]. Pour en savoir plus sur MEE, cliquez ici [en anglais].