Iran's First Direct Attack on Israel, Fires Twenty Rockets on Israel Military Camps; Irsraeli Forces Retaliated

Damascus, May 10: Iranian Revolutionary Guards fired rockets on Israeli army bases in the Golan Heights early on Thursday. According to the Israeli military, 20 rockets have been fired by the Iranian forces. The Israeli forces also retaliated by targeting Iranian weapons depots, logistics sites and intelligence centres.

However, Iran has not yet commented about Israel’s attack. Iranian forces are supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. According to Syrian state media report, The Iranian army’s air defences had repelled an "Israeli aggression" on Syrian territory, shooting down scores of missiles.

Military spokesperson of Israel Army, Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Conricus told reporters, “It was commanded and ordered by (Quds Force chief General) Qassem Soleimani, and it has not achieved its purpose.” He also said that Israel struck back by destroying dozens of Iranian military sites in Syria, as well as Syrian anti-aircraft units that tried unsuccessfully to shoot down Israeli planes.

Syrian state news agency, Sana citing a military source, reported, “Air defences confronted tens of Israeli rockets, and some of them reached their target and destroyed one of the radar sites.” According to the news agency, another rocket hit an ammunition warehouse.

This is the first time Iranian forces have hit Israel from Syria. Israel had occupied most of the Syrian Golan Heights in the 1967 Middle East war. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, also confirmed that the dozens of rockets were fired towards Golan. The rockets were fired by the Iranian forces to avenge the air strikes carried out by Israel in Baath in which seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards were killed last month.

Syrian state television was broadcasting footage of its air defences firing. Lebanon's National News Agency also reported that Israeli jets circled over Lebanese territory on Thursday.

The tension in the region increased after the US pulled out of the nuclear deal with Iran on Tuesday. Hours after the deal was cancelled, Israel fired rockets targeted a military base in Kisweh. Almost 15 were reported killed in that attack. However, Israel has not yet confirmed that it carried out the attack. Thursday's outburst came just hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned from a visit to Moscow. Netanyahu discussed Syrian issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 10, 2018 04:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).