Click to see full-size image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
Late on December 20, four rockets were fired from southern Syria at the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, setting off sirens in the settlement of Mas’ade and Ein Quiniyye.
The attack, which was likely carried out by Palestinian fighters to protest the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, didn’t result in any losses.
The IDF said in a statement that it had shelled the source of the fire and targeted a position of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in response.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that positions of the SAA near the towns of Erneh and Hader in the southern governorate of al-Qunitra were targeted by the IDF. However, the London-based monitoring group didn’t report any casualties.
The attack came after a large blast was reported close to the international airport of the Syrian capital, Damascus, in the morning. There were some speculations that the blast was the result of a strike by the IDF. However, this is yet to be confirmed.
Israel escalated its attacks on Syria significantly since the outbreak of the war with the Hamas Movement and other Palestinian armed factions in Gaza. Rocket attacks against the Golan Heights also became a regular occurrence.
The war-torn country has largely refrained from responding to Israel’s repeated attacks in an attempt to avoid more escalation.
