Israeli military forces hit targets in Syria early Sunday morning in retaliation for two batches of rocket attacks launched by a Damascus-based Palestinian group loyal to the Syrian regime.
After the second barrage of three rockets, Israel initially said it responded with artillery fire into the area in Syria from where the rockets were fired.
AP reports that soon after Israeli fighter jets attacked Syrian army sites, including a compound of Syria’s 4th Division and radar and artillery posts
A Damascus-based Palestinian group claimed responsibility for launching the three missiles Saturday, reported Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV, as terror groups continue to bombard the Jewish state with rocket strikes.
Streaks of light are seen as Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system intercepts rockets fired from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory on April 7, 2023. Israel launched air strikes before dawn on April 7, 2023 in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, saying it was targeting Hamas in retaliation for several dozen rockets fired at Israel from both territories. (MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images)
The report quoted Al-Quds Brigade, a militia different than the larger Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s armed wing with a similar name, as saying it launched the attacks into Israel.
Palestinian terror attacks on Israelis have killed 19 people in the past week alone — including on Friday two British-Israelis shot to death near a settlement in the Jordan Valley and an Italian tourist killed by a suspected car-ramming in Tel Aviv, as Breitbart News reported.
The latest terror attack has been linked to the annual uptick in violence coinciding with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
One Dead, Seven Injured Including UK and Italian Tourists After Terrorist Car-Ramming Attack in in Tel Aviv https://t.co/WOQPlT1cJi
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) April 8, 2023
Overlapping with the Jewish holiday of Passover this year, the month has already seen a number of killings perpetrated at the hands of Islamic extremists.
Over 2,000 police were expected to be deployed in Jerusalem on Sunday – when tens of thousands of Jews are expected to gather at the Western Wall for the special Passover priestly blessing.
The Western Wall is the holiest site where Jews can pray and sits next to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, where large crowds gather each day for prayers during Ramadan.