Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that an overnight Israeli attack, which the country's air forces carried out on Iranian military positions in Syria, was a response to the recent shelling of Israel from the Syrian territory
TEL AVIV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th November, 2019) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that an overnight Israeli attack, which the country's air forces carried out on Iranian military positions in Syria, was a response to the recent shelling of Israel from the Syrian territory.
On Tuesday evening, Israel's Iron Dome air defense system had intercepted four unspecified launches from Syria. In the early hours of Wednesday, powerful explosions were heard in the Syrian capital of Damascus and other areas. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it had attacked about 20 military targets belonging to Syria and Iran.
"I made it clear that whoever would hurt us � we would hit them back. That's how we did it tonight against the military targets of the Iranian Quds Forces and Syria's military positions after missiles were launched at Israel last night," Netanyahu wrote on his Twitter, adding that the IDF and the country's authorities would continue to firmly maintain Israel's security.
In their turn, the IDF noted that a number of Syrian aerial defense batteries were destroyed, and the Israeli forces would operate "as long as necessary" against Iran's strengthening presence on Syria's soil.
Israel and Iran have a fraught relationship due to the latter's support for militant movements, including Ansar Allah, also known as Houthis, in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Hamas in Palestine. The Jewish state is actively working to undermine its rival's position in the region, which includes convincing other countries' governments to sanction Tehran.
Israel and Syria share borders along the disputed Golan Heights. The territory has been mostly under Israel's control since the country seized the area during the 1967 Six-Day War. Israel adopted a law in 1981 that annexed the territory, though it was rejected by the United Nations. Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump recognized the Golan Heights as Israeli territory.
