Israel Attacks Syria; Response to Landing of "Wandering Missile"
Israel attacked several bases near Damascus in retaliation for the attack near the Dimona nuclear facility. The Associated Press reported an article in the Kayhan newspaper that suggested attacking Dimona in response to the Natanz attack.
Israel attacked a Syrian missile base and air defense system after a missile was fired near sensitive nuclear facilities in the early hours of Thursday, April 22, local time.
Four soldiers were wounded and damage was also caused in the attacks near Damascus, according to the Syrian state news agency SANA, which said the missiles were fired from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Following a missile attack on Israel on Thursday morning, sirens sounded in Abu Qarinat, a village just a few kilometers from Dimona, where Israel's nuclear facilities are located.
The Israeli military said it had deployed its anti-missile defense system to counter the rocket attack, but could not confirm whether the missiles were targeted. However, it said the missiles did not cause any damage. The Israeli military said explosions heard across Israel were likely from the country's air defense system.
According to the Israeli military, the missiles fired were surface-to-air missiles, which are often used to engage fighter jets or other missiles. The Syrian missiles were likely fired at Israeli warplanes but were deflected and hit the ground. However, Dimona is 300 kilometers south of Damascus, too far away for surface-to-air missiles.
The most intense tension between Israel and Syria with Iranian intervention
The Associated Press has described the two attacks as the most intense escalation of tensions between Israel and Syria in recent years, and has reported the possibility of Iranian involvement. The agency wrote that the Islamic Republic has military forces in Syria and holds Israel responsible for cyberattacks and sabotage on its nuclear facilities, the most recent of which was the attack on the Natanz site on April 11.
Iran has not claimed responsibility for the attacks on Israel, and the Islamic Republic has not yet responded officially. However, the Associated Press reported on an article in the Kayhan newspaper by Saadollah Zarei on Saturday, which suggested attacking the Dimona nuclear facility in response to the sabotage at Natanz. The author of the article believes that the Dimona facility is on par with Natanz, and he called the attack on the facility “an eye for an eye.”
The Dimona nuclear facility is said to be the main center of Israel's covert nuclear weapons program, which the country has never confirmed or denied.
Retaliatory attacks by Israel and Syria could also affect the ongoing Vienna talks aimed at reviving the JCPOA.
Source: DW
