The Israeli military has intensified its operations in southern Syria, responding to recent projectile launches from the area. Defence Minister Israel Katz announced that he holds Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad directly accountable for any threats to Israeli territory, a strong warning underscoring the rising tensions in the region.
In an official statement, the military confirmed the detection of two projectiles that crossed into Israeli airspace, landing in open areas without causing any damage or casualties. In retaliation, Israeli artillery struck targets in southern Syria, specifically in the Yarmuk Basin region, according to reports from Syria’s state news agency SANA. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, observed that these bombardments primarily affected farmland in the Daraa province, though no casualties were reported.
Violent explosions reverberated through southern Syria, particularly noted in towns like Quneitra and the Daraa region, following Israeli airstrikes that occurred overnight from Tuesday into Wednesday. While Israel targeted sites associated with the Syrian authorities, the country’s air defense system was activated in response to the incoming projectiles, particularly alarming residents in parts of the Golan Heights, a territory Israel captured from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed in 1981.
Katz’s statement emphasized the seriousness of the situation, declaring, “We view the president of Syria as directly responsible for any threat or fire directed at the State of Israel,” and indicated that Israel would respond decisively to any aggression.
The recent projectile launches mark the first such action from Syria into Israeli territory since the fall of Assad’s regime, led by interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa, in December. Following the regime’s collapse, Israel increased its military presence in the UN-patrolled demilitarized zone in the Golan Heights and has reportedly conducted hundreds of strikes aimed at preventing advanced weaponry from reaching Syrian factions deemed to be associated with jihadist groups.
The Israeli military has reiterated its commitment to ongoing defensive operations in southern Syria, stating that it aims to dismantle terrorist infrastructure and safeguard the residents of the Golan Heights. This development underscores the enduring state of conflict between Syria and Israel, rooted in a war that has been technically ongoing since 1948.
