Jerusalem – Israel’s air defences intercepted four rockets fired fromneighbouring Syria on Tuesday, the army said, prompting reportedretaliatory missile strikes against the source of the fire.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the rockets were fired frompositions around the capital held by groups loyal to the Damascusgovernment.
It did not elaborate on which group had launched the rockets or whetherthere had been any casualties in the retaliatory strikes.
The flareup comes after a major escalation in and around Gaza last weekfollowing Israel’s targeted killing of a commander of Palestinian militantgroup Islamic Jihad, which is allied with Damascus.
The killing was accompanied by a second strike, unconfirmed by Israel, onan Islamic Jihad leader in Damascus that killed his son and another person.
There was no immediate rocket fire from Syria following that strike.
“Four launches were identified from Syria towards Israeli territory whichwere intercepted by the Israeli air defence systems,” the Israeli militarysaid in a statement.
“No hits on Israeli communities were identified.”
Meanwhile, blasts were heard close to the airport in the Syrian capitalDamascus, the state SANA news agency reported.
It gave no further details but the Observatory reported “missile fire byIsraeli aircraft on positions south and southwest of Damascus”.
Syrian air defences opened fire in response, the Britain-based war monitorsaid.
“The Israeli bombardment targeted positions held by pro-regime groups wholaunched the missiles against Israel,” Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahmantold AFP.
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Israel has carried out frequent air and missile strikes against targetsinside Syria since the country descended into civil war in 2011.
Most have been against what Israel said were Iranian targets or positionsof Iran’s Lebanese ally, Shiite militant group Hezbollah.
Both are sworn enemies of Israel and both have backed Syrian PresidentBashar al-Assad’s forces with advisers or fighters.
Israel has also carried out some strikes targeting Palestinian rejectionistfactions based in Damascus, like last week’s strike that Islamic Jihad saidtargeted one of its leaders.
Islamic Jihad joined other militant groups in agreeing a fragile new UN-and Egyptian-brokered truce around Gaza after last week’s two-day flareup.
It came after senior Islamic Jihad leader Baha Abu Al-Ata, whom Israelblamed for recent rocket fire into its territory, was killed in a strike onhis home in Gaza City.
In response Islamic Jihad, which is allied with Gaza’s rulers Hamas, firedaround 450 rockets towards Israel, which struck back with more air strikes.
The flareup saw 34 Palestinians and no Israelis killed.
A ceasefire between Israel and militant groups including Islamic Jihad wasagreed after 50 hours of clashes, but the deal remains precarious. -APP/AFP
