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Israel hits multiple targets in Syria after rocket attacks overnight Israel hits multiple targets in Syria after rockets fired into Golan Heights
(about 3 hours later)
An observation tower on the border between Israel and SyriaAn observation tower on the border between Israel and Syria
Israel struck multiple military targets in Syria after rockets were fired into territory it controls overnight, the Israeli military has said. Israel hit multiple military targets in Syria in response to six rockets fired into territory it controls overnight, the Israeli military has said.
Israeli artillery and drones were used to hit a Syrian army compound and rocket launchers after six rockets were fired from Syria at the Golan Heights. The Israeli Air Force said fighter jets and a drone hit the rocket launchers as well as a Syrian military compound, radar systems and artillery positions.
Officials said three rockets had entered Israeli territory. Two hit open ground and a third was intercepted. Syria said the strikes caused material damage.
On Facebook, the Syrian defence ministry confirmed the Israeli attacks. The rocket fire from Syria into the occupied Golan Heights was claimed by a Palestinian militant group.
Syrian defence officials claimed that air defences had responded to the strikes and successfully intercepted some of the missiles. It caused no damage or casualties.
It added that no casualties had been reported, with only material damage caused by the strikes. In recent days, Israel has also come under fire from southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, prompting it to carry out retaliatory strikes against Palestinian militants in both areas.
Meanwhile, Syrian state media reported explosions near the capital Damascus. The exchanges have followed an escalation in regional tensions in recent days, after Israeli police raided Jerusalem's al-Aqsa Mosque.
Earlier, air raid sirens had sounded in the Golan Heights after rockets were fired from Syrian territory, but no casualties or damage were reported. The Israeli military reported two separate rocket salvoes originating from Syria late on Saturday and early on Sunday.
Lebanese media reported that the Al-Quds Brigade - an armed wing of the Iranian-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement - had claimed to be behind the attacks. Three rockets were launched in the first, one of which landed in the southern Golan Heights, it said.
In the second, two rockets crossed the frontier and one was intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome air defence system, the military added.
Beirut-based Al Mayadeen TV said the al-Quds Brigade - a Damascus-based Palestinian militant group loyal to the Syrian government - claimed it was behind the rocket fire, saying it was retaliating for recent Israeli police raids at the al-Aqsa mosque.
The group is different to the larger military wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which has a very similar name - the Al-Quds Brigades.
Violence as Israeli police raid Jerusalem holy site
The Israeli military said its artillery struck Syrian territory and that an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) struck the launchers that fired the rockets from Syria.
Israeli warplanes later struck additional targets belonging to the Syrian military, including a compound belonging to the Syrian army's 4th Division.
In a statement early on Sunday, Israeli Defence Forces said it "sees the state of Syria responsible for all activities occurring within its territory and will not allow any attempts to violate Israeli sovereignty".In a statement early on Sunday, Israeli Defence Forces said it "sees the state of Syria responsible for all activities occurring within its territory and will not allow any attempts to violate Israeli sovereignty".
Meanwhile, Jordan - which borders Israel and Syria - said that a rocket exploded in the air on Saturday evening and its debris fell in Jordanian territory. They didn't say where the rocket came from. A Syrian military source told the state-run Sana news agency that its air defences "intercepted the enemy's missiles and downed some of them" but that some material damage was caused.
The debris, which fell in the Wadi Aqraba area, did not result in casualties or damage, a Jordanian army statement said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, cited its sources as saying jets and drones hit targets including a Syrian military radar position in the western countryside of Suweida, the 90th Brigade near Quneitra, and the 52nd Brigade in the eastern countryside of Deraa.
It said no casualties had been reported.
Israel seized the Golan Heights, a 1,200-sq-km (460-sq-mile) area previously controlled by Syria, during the Six Day War in 1967 and annexed it in 1981, a move not recognised by most of the international community.Israel seized the Golan Heights, a 1,200-sq-km (460-sq-mile) area previously controlled by Syria, during the Six Day War in 1967 and annexed it in 1981, a move not recognised by most of the international community.
The attacks come amid heightening tensions in the region. On Friday, Israel struck several targets in southern Lebanon belonging to the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which it blamed for a barrage of 34 rockets fired into northern Israel on Thursday. Stand-off at al-Aqsa mosque
Elsewhere, hundreds of Palestinians have barricaded themselves inside Al-Aqsa mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, raising fears of further clashes with Israeli police. Sunday morning saw a tense stand-off between Palestinians and police officers at the al-Aqsa mosque in occupied East Jerusalem.
Last week there were violent scenes after Israeli police raided the mosque, saying "agitators" had barricaded themselves and worshippers inside. The mosque, which is the third holiest site in Islam, is located on a hilltop complex known by Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary) and by Jews as the Temple Mount.
Jordan - which manages the religious complex - has warned of catastrophic consequences if police storm the mosque. Jews revere it as the location of two Biblical Temples and it is the holiest site in Judaism.
Overnight, hundreds of Palestinian Muslim worshippers barricaded themselves in al-Aqsa mosque, raising fears of a further escalation in tensions with Israeli police.
Jordan - which manages the religious complex - has warned of catastrophic consequences if police storm the mosque.
But on Sunday morning, instead of forcing all Palestinians marking Ramadan to leave after dawn prayers, heavily armed police lined up to separate them from hundreds of Jewish visitors who were escorted around the site.
A mass blessing for Passover then took place at the Western Wall, which lies below the hilltop site.
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IsraelIsrael
Golan HeightsGolan Heights
SyriaSyria