Israel Strikes Syria After Four Rockets Hit Northern Territory

Since the Syrian conflict broke out in 2011, sporadic mortar shells and gunfire have hit Israel on several occasions, but Thursday’s attack marks the first time since 1973 that rockets from Syrian territory have hit Israel.

It has always held Syria responsible for any cross-border fire.

The state TV report quoted a military source as saying that “several missiles” had targeted a transportation center and a public building in the Quneitra area of the Syrian Golan Heights.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said the rockets were fired by the Iran-backed Islamic Jihad group, according to AP, though no party had claimed responsibility at the time of this report.

Arab media reported that a number of casualties, including fatalities, resulted from the Israeli retaliation. No injuries were reported.

The rockets landed in the northern Galilee and Golan Heights, the Israeli military said in a statement.

The Jewish state has avoided taking sides in the civil war in neighbouring Syria, though it has responded occasionally to attacks.

Dawoud Shehab, an Islamic Jihad spokesman in Gaza, denied that the group had fired on Israel from the Syrian Golan.

Israeli officials recently held a large-scale drill in Israel’s north to prepare for the possibility of a large scale attack from either Syria or Lebanon, including the possibility of an Israeli offensive into Syria.

While Islamic Jihad is though to enjoy close ties with Iran, the group is not known for maintaining a large presence on Israel’s northern border.