Israel Attacked Iranian Positions in Syrian Territory

The Israeli army targeted Iranian positions near Damascus in an aerial attack. According to the Israeli army, the strikes, which took place on Wednesday morning, were in retaliation for missile attacks launched from Syrian territory against Israel the previous day.

The Israeli army confirmed that on Wednesday, November 20, it targeted Iranian and Syrian positions near Damascus in an aerial attack. According to the Israeli army’s statement, the strike on “terrorist targets” was in retaliation for missile attacks launched from inside Syrian territory against Israel on Tuesday.

Israel’s Defense Ministry holds Iran responsible for Tuesday’s attacks and has stated that Damascus bears responsibility for the strikes since they were launched from within Syrian territory.

Syrian state media had previously reported that the country’s air defense prevented a “heavy attack” over the capital by Israeli aircraft in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Syria’s state news agency, SANA, reported that the missile attacks resulted in two civilian deaths and several others wounded.

Since the start of Syria’s civil war in 2011, Israel has repeatedly carried out aerial and missile strikes against Iranian positions in Syrian territory, but rarely commented on these attacks.

Israel’s Defense Ministry wrote on its Twitter page: “We only conducted extensive strikes against the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards and the Syrian army inside Syria in response to missile attacks launched against Israel by Iranian forces in Syria last night.”

Israel’s Defense Ministry added that during this attack, “despite Israel’s warning,” Syrian air defenses opened fire, and therefore Syria’s missile defense system was targeted, resulting in the destruction of several “air defense batteries.”

The Israeli army also stated: “We hold the Syrian regime responsible for attacks launched from within Syrian territory and warn them regarding allowing further attacks against Israel.”

The Israeli army added: “We will firmly and decisively continue operations against Iranian positions inside Syrian territory for as long as necessary.”

A reporter for France’s news agency heard several explosions in Damascus in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Syria’s state news agency, SANA, citing a source in the country’s military, said: “Our air defense force faced a heavy attack and intercepted enemy missiles, managing to neutralize most of them before reaching their targets.”

The agency added that the attacks were launched from Lebanese territory and Palestinian territories. Israel sometimes carries out strikes against Syria by flying aircraft over the airspace of its neighboring country, Lebanon.

Wednesday’s aerial strike occurred one day after Israeli forces intercepted four missiles fired from Syria.

The Syrian Human Rights Observatory stated that the missiles fired on Tuesday were launched from positions around Damascus held by forces loyal to the Syrian government.

With the suppression of domestic protests in Syria by Bashar al-Assad and the intervention of foreign forces, the Syrian crisis has become more complex.

Tensions in the region and around the Gaza Strip escalated in recent weeks following Israel’s attack on areas in Gaza and the killing of a senior commander of the Islamic Jihad group, which is allied with Damascus and Tehran.

In a second strike following that attack on Damascus, which has not yet been confirmed by Israel, a leader of the Islamic Jihad group was killed along with his son and another person.

To date, Israel has carried out hundreds of attacks against Iranian positions or positions of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group, which is allied with the Islamic Republic, inside Syrian territory. Iran and Hezbollah are enemies of Israel, and both provide advisory and military support to Bashar al-Assad.

The war in Syria has so far resulted in more than 370,000 deaths and millions of displaced persons.

Source: DW