Rocket Fire in Israel - Launches Strike in Syria

Although no one claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks, they are part of an escalating wave of violence in the region. The Israeli military announced that they were striking the launchers in Syria from which the rockets were fired, and a drone was also deployed for this purpose. In total, six rockets were launched towards Israel on Saturday night, with two landing in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and one was intercepted by the Israeli air-defense system. The region, which is patrolled by Israeli soldiers and borders Lebanon, was seized from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War, and Israel later annexed it, a move not recognized by the international community.

The recent violence and unrest come as the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, Jewish Passover, and Christian Easter coincide. On Wednesday, Israeli police stormed the prayer hall of Al-Aqsa mosque, Islam's third-holiest site, in a pre-dawn raid aimed at dislodging law-breaking youths and masked agitators who had barricaded themselves inside. The next day, more than 30 rockets were fired from Lebanese soil into Israel, which the Israeli army blamed on Palestinian groups, saying it was most likely Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip. Israel then bombarded Gaza and southern Lebanon, targeting terror infrastructures belonging to Hamas. This was the largest salvo fired from Lebanon since Israel fought a devastating 34-day war with Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in 2006 and the first time Israel confirmed an attack on Lebanese territory since April 2022. Israel and Lebanon are technically in a state of war, and the ceasefire line is patrolled by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which is deployed in the country's south.

On the Syrian side, Israel has recently intensified its raids targeting positions of pro-Iranian groups. On Friday evening, an Italian tourist was killed, and seven other people were injured in a suspected car-ramming attack on pedestrians on the Tel Aviv seafront. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the police to mobilise all reserve border police units, and he directed the army to mobilise additional forces. Earlier on Friday, two British-Israeli sisters aged 16 and 20 were killed, and their mother was seriously wounded when their car was fired on in the Jordan Valley in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The defense ministry confirmed that it had mobilized soldiers to support the police and that it would tighten entry restrictions into Israel for Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza, especially workers.

The current tensions follow violence on Wednesday when Israeli riot police stormed the prayer hall of Al-Aqsa mosque in a pre-dawn raid, aiming to dislodge law-breaking youths and masked agitators who had barricaded themselves inside. Ramadan coincided with the Jewish Passover holiday this year, raising tensions with the tens of thousands of Palestinians who pray at Al-Aqsa during the Muslim fasting month. The Palestinians fear Netanyahu's hard-right government may change longstanding rules that allow Jews to visit but not pray in the mosque compound, despite his repeated denials. Since the beginning of January, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has claimed the lives of at least 92 Palestinians, 18 Israelis, one Ukrainian, and one Italian, according to an AFP count based on Israeli and Palestinian official sources. These figures include combatants and civilians, including minors, on the Palestinian side and mostly civilians, including minors, and three members of the Arab minority on the Israeli side.