20 nov 2019
Russia has denounced Israel’s latest aerial assaults on Syria as a “wrong” move that will exacerbate tensions.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said on Wednesday that his country had contacted its allies about the Israeli attacks in Damascus suburbs.
“We will look into the circumstances. All this is very wrong,” he said. “It merely causes an unnecessary escalation of tensions.”
At the request of Damascus, Russia, along with Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement, has been assisting Syrian armed forces in their battles against terrorist groups in the Arab country, many of which have the support of the Israeli regime.
Israeli warplanes fired several missiles from the direction of both the occupied Golan Heights, and Marjaayoun area in Lebanon targeting the outskirts of Damascus in the early hours of Wednesday, Syria’s official SANA news agency reported.
It also quoted a military source as saying that Syrian air defenses had managed to foil the aggression by intercepting the “hostile missiles” and downing most of them before they reached their targets.
SANA further reported that the strikes had killed two civilians in the town of Saasaa, southwest of Damascus, and injured several others, including a girl in a residential building in the suburb of Qudsaya, west of the Syrian capital.
However, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the death toll at 11, adding that the Mezzeh airbase, in western Damascus, was among the targets of the Israeli air raids.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military confirmed it had attacked dozens of targets inside Syria, which it claimed belonged to the Syrian army and the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), which runs a military advisory mission in Syria.
It further claimed that the strikes came in response to a rocket attack on the northern parts of the Israeli-occupied territories on Tuesday.
Israel frequently attacks military targets inside Syria in what is considered as an attempt to prop up foreign-backed Takfiri terrorist groups that have been suffering heavy defeats against Syrian government forces.
The Damascus government has several times complained to the UN about Israel’s illegal strikes on Syria.
Iran has no yet reacted to the Israeli regime’s new claims.
Last year, similar Israeli raids led to the downing of Russian aircraft off a Syrian coast, killing over a dozen Russian servicemen and sparking some of the worst tensions in Moscow-Tel Aviv ties.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said on Wednesday that his country had contacted its allies about the Israeli attacks in Damascus suburbs.
“We will look into the circumstances. All this is very wrong,” he said. “It merely causes an unnecessary escalation of tensions.”
At the request of Damascus, Russia, along with Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement, has been assisting Syrian armed forces in their battles against terrorist groups in the Arab country, many of which have the support of the Israeli regime.
Israeli warplanes fired several missiles from the direction of both the occupied Golan Heights, and Marjaayoun area in Lebanon targeting the outskirts of Damascus in the early hours of Wednesday, Syria’s official SANA news agency reported.
It also quoted a military source as saying that Syrian air defenses had managed to foil the aggression by intercepting the “hostile missiles” and downing most of them before they reached their targets.
SANA further reported that the strikes had killed two civilians in the town of Saasaa, southwest of Damascus, and injured several others, including a girl in a residential building in the suburb of Qudsaya, west of the Syrian capital.
However, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the death toll at 11, adding that the Mezzeh airbase, in western Damascus, was among the targets of the Israeli air raids.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military confirmed it had attacked dozens of targets inside Syria, which it claimed belonged to the Syrian army and the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), which runs a military advisory mission in Syria.
It further claimed that the strikes came in response to a rocket attack on the northern parts of the Israeli-occupied territories on Tuesday.
Israel frequently attacks military targets inside Syria in what is considered as an attempt to prop up foreign-backed Takfiri terrorist groups that have been suffering heavy defeats against Syrian government forces.
The Damascus government has several times complained to the UN about Israel’s illegal strikes on Syria.
Iran has no yet reacted to the Israeli regime’s new claims.
Last year, similar Israeli raids led to the downing of Russian aircraft off a Syrian coast, killing over a dozen Russian servicemen and sparking some of the worst tensions in Moscow-Tel Aviv ties.
War monitoring group says at least 7 of the casualties are foreign nationals; IDF says it carried out the attacks, hitting targets belonging to Iran's elite Quds force, in response to the rocket fire at Israel's north; 'Our message to Iranian leaders: you're no longer immune,' says Bennett
The Israeli military said it struck dozens of Iranian targets in Syria on Wednesday, carrying out a wide-scale strike in response to rocket fire on the Golan Heights the day before. War monitoring group reported at least 23 people were killed including foreign nationals.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 7 out of 23 casualties were foreign nationals and are believed to be Iranians. "We cannot confirm whether the seven foreigners killed are all Iranians or pro-Iranian fighters of different nationalities," added Rami Abdul Rahman, the head of the London-based NGO with an extensive network of sources in the country.
The military said its fighter jets hit multiple targets belonging to Iran's elite Quds force, including surface-to-air missiles, weapons warehouses and military bases. After the Syrian military fired an air defense missile, the Israeli military said a number of Syrian aerial defense batteries were also destroyed.
The Syrian Observatory said the airstrikes targeted arms depots belonging to the Quds Force in the Damascus suburbs of Kisweh and Qudsaya. Abdul Rahman added that several other areas were targeted in Wednesday's strikes, including the Mazzeh airbase in western Damascus where air defense units are stationed.
Earlier, Syria's state SANA news agency said the two people were killed by shrapnel when an Israeli missile hit a house in the town of Saasaa, southwest of Damascus.
The report also said several others were wounded in the airstrikes near the capital, Damascus. It claimed that Syrian air defenses destroyed most of the Israeli missiles before they reached their targets.
The strikes further burst into the open what's been a long shadow war between Israel and its archenemy Iran. The two foes have increasingly clashed over what Israel says is Iran's deeper presence along its borders.
Yesterday's Iranian attack towards Israel is further clear proof of the purpose of the Iranian entrenchment in Syria, which threatens Israeli security, regional stability and the Syrian regime, the military said in a statement, adding that it would continue operating firmly and resolutely against Iran in Syria.
Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman, said the significance of the operation was the multitude of targets hit.
Several important targets were struck, he said, including what he described as the Iranian headquarters at Damascus airport where senior Iranian officials are based and which is used to coordinate shipments from Iran to its allies in Syria and beyond. He added that Israel also holds Syria responsible for hosting the Iranians.
Tuesday's rocket fire on the Golan was the sixth attempt by Iran to attack Israeli targets since February 2018, and all have been thwarted, Conricus said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a series of warnings recently about Iranian aggression throughout the Middle East and has vowed to respond firmly. "I made it clear: whoever harms us, we will harm them. That's what we did tonight," he said early Wednesday. We will continue to aggressively protect Israel's security.
Israel's new hard-line defense minister, Naftali Bennett, issued an equally firm statement.
"The rules have changed: whoever fires on Israel during the day will not sleep at night," he said. "Our message to the leaders of Iran is simple: you are no longer immune. Any place you dispatch your tentacles, we will chop them off."
The rare rocket fire comes a week after an Israeli airstrike against a top Palestinian militant based in Syria. Akram al-Ajouri, a member of the leadership of the militant Islamic Jihad group who is living in exile, survived the attack but his son and granddaughter were killed.
Israel frequently strikes Iranian interests in Syria. But last week's airstrike appeared to be a rare assassination attempt of a Palestinian militant in the Syrian capital. It came the same day as another Israeli airstrike killed a senior Islamic Jihad commander in Gaza, settling off the fiercest round of fighting there in years.
Iran has forces based in Syria, Israel's northern neighbor, and supports Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. In Gaza, it supplies Islamic Jihad with cash, weapons and expertise.
Netanyahu also has claimed Iran is using Iraq and far-off Yemen, where Tehran supports Shiite Houthi rebels at war with a Saudi-led coalition backing the government, to plan attacks against Israel. Hamas also receives some support from Iran.
Syria repels Israeli raid, intercepts ‘hostile missiles’ over Damascus: SANA
The Syrian military says the country's air defenses have repelled several “hostile missiles” fired by Israeli jets over the capital Damascus.
Syria's official news agency SANA, citing a Syrian military source, reported in the early hours of Wednesday that Israeli warplanes had violated the Lebanese airspace near the southern district of Marjayoun and the occupied Golan Heights before firing missiles towards Damascus.
SANA said the Syrian air defense systems had successfully fended off the Israeli air strikes on the capital and its suburbs, adding that several missiles had also been downed south of Damascus before reaching their targets.
The news agency said explosions were also seen in the skies of the capital and work was underway to evaluate the situation and assess possible damage.
Syria state-run broadcaster Al-Ikhbariya confirmed the report and said the Israeli strikes destroyed at least two residential buildings in the southwest of Damascus, leaving inhabitants of the property – a father, a mother and their children – injured.
Meanwhile, Tel Aviv confirmed the attack, claiming to have struck dozens of what it described as Iranian and Syrian targets.
Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria, including in the Golan Heights, most of them against what the Tel Aviv regime claims to be the positions of pro-Syrian forces.
The Syrian military has mostly absorbed the Israeli strikes, locking its defense systems on incoming fire.
In early 2018, Syria targeted and shot down at least one Israeli F-16 that had intruded into its airspace.
Syria has called on the United Nations to adopt necessary measures to stop Israel’s repeated acts of military aggression on the Arab country.
The Israeli military said it struck dozens of Iranian targets in Syria on Wednesday, carrying out a wide-scale strike in response to rocket fire on the Golan Heights the day before. War monitoring group reported at least 23 people were killed including foreign nationals.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 7 out of 23 casualties were foreign nationals and are believed to be Iranians. "We cannot confirm whether the seven foreigners killed are all Iranians or pro-Iranian fighters of different nationalities," added Rami Abdul Rahman, the head of the London-based NGO with an extensive network of sources in the country.
The military said its fighter jets hit multiple targets belonging to Iran's elite Quds force, including surface-to-air missiles, weapons warehouses and military bases. After the Syrian military fired an air defense missile, the Israeli military said a number of Syrian aerial defense batteries were also destroyed.
The Syrian Observatory said the airstrikes targeted arms depots belonging to the Quds Force in the Damascus suburbs of Kisweh and Qudsaya. Abdul Rahman added that several other areas were targeted in Wednesday's strikes, including the Mazzeh airbase in western Damascus where air defense units are stationed.
Earlier, Syria's state SANA news agency said the two people were killed by shrapnel when an Israeli missile hit a house in the town of Saasaa, southwest of Damascus.
The report also said several others were wounded in the airstrikes near the capital, Damascus. It claimed that Syrian air defenses destroyed most of the Israeli missiles before they reached their targets.
The strikes further burst into the open what's been a long shadow war between Israel and its archenemy Iran. The two foes have increasingly clashed over what Israel says is Iran's deeper presence along its borders.
Yesterday's Iranian attack towards Israel is further clear proof of the purpose of the Iranian entrenchment in Syria, which threatens Israeli security, regional stability and the Syrian regime, the military said in a statement, adding that it would continue operating firmly and resolutely against Iran in Syria.
Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman, said the significance of the operation was the multitude of targets hit.
Several important targets were struck, he said, including what he described as the Iranian headquarters at Damascus airport where senior Iranian officials are based and which is used to coordinate shipments from Iran to its allies in Syria and beyond. He added that Israel also holds Syria responsible for hosting the Iranians.
Tuesday's rocket fire on the Golan was the sixth attempt by Iran to attack Israeli targets since February 2018, and all have been thwarted, Conricus said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a series of warnings recently about Iranian aggression throughout the Middle East and has vowed to respond firmly. "I made it clear: whoever harms us, we will harm them. That's what we did tonight," he said early Wednesday. We will continue to aggressively protect Israel's security.
Israel's new hard-line defense minister, Naftali Bennett, issued an equally firm statement.
"The rules have changed: whoever fires on Israel during the day will not sleep at night," he said. "Our message to the leaders of Iran is simple: you are no longer immune. Any place you dispatch your tentacles, we will chop them off."
The rare rocket fire comes a week after an Israeli airstrike against a top Palestinian militant based in Syria. Akram al-Ajouri, a member of the leadership of the militant Islamic Jihad group who is living in exile, survived the attack but his son and granddaughter were killed.
Israel frequently strikes Iranian interests in Syria. But last week's airstrike appeared to be a rare assassination attempt of a Palestinian militant in the Syrian capital. It came the same day as another Israeli airstrike killed a senior Islamic Jihad commander in Gaza, settling off the fiercest round of fighting there in years.
Iran has forces based in Syria, Israel's northern neighbor, and supports Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. In Gaza, it supplies Islamic Jihad with cash, weapons and expertise.
Netanyahu also has claimed Iran is using Iraq and far-off Yemen, where Tehran supports Shiite Houthi rebels at war with a Saudi-led coalition backing the government, to plan attacks against Israel. Hamas also receives some support from Iran.
Syria repels Israeli raid, intercepts ‘hostile missiles’ over Damascus: SANA
The Syrian military says the country's air defenses have repelled several “hostile missiles” fired by Israeli jets over the capital Damascus.
Syria's official news agency SANA, citing a Syrian military source, reported in the early hours of Wednesday that Israeli warplanes had violated the Lebanese airspace near the southern district of Marjayoun and the occupied Golan Heights before firing missiles towards Damascus.
SANA said the Syrian air defense systems had successfully fended off the Israeli air strikes on the capital and its suburbs, adding that several missiles had also been downed south of Damascus before reaching their targets.
The news agency said explosions were also seen in the skies of the capital and work was underway to evaluate the situation and assess possible damage.
Syria state-run broadcaster Al-Ikhbariya confirmed the report and said the Israeli strikes destroyed at least two residential buildings in the southwest of Damascus, leaving inhabitants of the property – a father, a mother and their children – injured.
Meanwhile, Tel Aviv confirmed the attack, claiming to have struck dozens of what it described as Iranian and Syrian targets.
Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria, including in the Golan Heights, most of them against what the Tel Aviv regime claims to be the positions of pro-Syrian forces.
The Syrian military has mostly absorbed the Israeli strikes, locking its defense systems on incoming fire.
In early 2018, Syria targeted and shot down at least one Israeli F-16 that had intruded into its airspace.
Syria has called on the United Nations to adopt necessary measures to stop Israel’s repeated acts of military aggression on the Arab country.
12 nov 2019
Moath al-‘Ajjouri and Abdullah Yousef Hasan
The Israeli Air Force carried out, on Tuesday at dawn, several air strikes targeting a senior leader of the Palestinian Jihad in the Syrian capital, Damascus, killing two, including his son, and injuring nine others, among them the grandson of the slain leader.
The al-Mayadeen News Agency has reported that the Israeli Air Force struck the home of Akram al-Ajjouri with two missiles.
It added that the missiles caused excessive damage to the home, and several surrounding buildings, killing Akram’s son, Moath al-‘Ajjouri, and wounding his granddaughter. video
The strike also led to the death of Abdullah Yousef Hasan, and the injury of eight other civilians.
Israeli missiles also struck a building near the Lebanese Embassy, in the western district of the Syrian capital, where many diplomatic missions and Damascus University are located.
The Israeli Air Force carried out, on Tuesday at dawn, several air strikes targeting a senior leader of the Palestinian Jihad in the Syrian capital, Damascus, killing two, including his son, and injuring nine others, among them the grandson of the slain leader.
The al-Mayadeen News Agency has reported that the Israeli Air Force struck the home of Akram al-Ajjouri with two missiles.
It added that the missiles caused excessive damage to the home, and several surrounding buildings, killing Akram’s son, Moath al-‘Ajjouri, and wounding his granddaughter. video
The strike also led to the death of Abdullah Yousef Hasan, and the injury of eight other civilians.
Israeli missiles also struck a building near the Lebanese Embassy, in the western district of the Syrian capital, where many diplomatic missions and Damascus University are located.
Baha’ Abu al-‘Ata, 42, and his wife Asma’ Abu al-Ata
The Israeli army killed, on Tuesday at dawn, a senior leader of the Islamic Jihad Movement, and his wife, after firing several missiles into a building in the Sheja’eyya area, east of Gaza city, also wounding many members of their family, in addition to a female neighbor. video
The Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad in Palestine, said the army assassinated Baha’ Abu al-‘Ata, 42, and his wife Asma’ Abu al-Ata, in addition to wounding their siblings, Salim, Mohammad, Lian, and Fatima az-Zahra’, in addition to their neighbor Hanan Hallas.
All wounded Palestinians were rushed to the Shifa Medical Center in Gaza.
In an official statement, the al-Quds Brigades has confirmed the death of Abu al-‘Ata, and said he was one of its prominent leaders and personally supervised various attacks against the Israeli army, and added that he was also subject to numerous assassination attempts by Israel.
The Brigades also stated that Israel is declaring war, and that Tel Aviv will witness the retaliation and the repercussions of this assassination.
“Our response will be huge; the enemy is responsible for the outcome of its crimes, and will pay for them,” the brigades added.
The brigades started firing shells into Israel almost an hour after the army assassinated its leader and his wife.
In addition, the Hamas movement and its military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, also issued statements vowing “fierce and painful retaliation.”
Israeli sources have reported that alarm sirens were sounded in many areas south of the country, including in Ashdod, Ashkelon Beit Elazari, Karmia, and Zikim, Rishon Le Zion, and even in Holon and Rishon Le Zion suburbs in Tel Aviv.
Israel daily Haaretz has reported that all schools were canceled, and bomb shelters were opened in Tel Aviv and many surrounding areas, and in Jerusalem.
It is worth mentioning that the Israeli army, and the Shin Bet, issued a joint statement claiming responsibility for assassinating the senior Islamic Jihad leader, and added that the strike was approved by Israeli Prime Minister and Defense Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu’s office said the offensive was recommended by the Israeli Army Chief of Staff and the Shin Bet (Israel’s internal security service) and was approved by Netanyahu.
The strike came just hours before Netanyahu is scheduled to hand the defense portfolio to Naftali Bennet from the Hayamin Hehadash (The New Right) party.
In related news, the Israeli army closed all border terminals in the besieged Gaza Strip and decreased the fishing zone to six nautical miles.
All schools in Gaza have been closed amidst mounting tension of a possible massive Israeli offensive against the coastal region.
It is worth mentioning that the Israeli Air Force also carried out an attempted assassination attack targeted a Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader in the Syrian capital, Damascus, but instead killed his son.
Syrian sources said the assassination attempt targeted Akram al-Ajjouri, but led to the death of his son Moath, in addition to another person, and injured ten others, including his daughter Batoul.
The Israeli army killed, on Tuesday at dawn, a senior leader of the Islamic Jihad Movement, and his wife, after firing several missiles into a building in the Sheja’eyya area, east of Gaza city, also wounding many members of their family, in addition to a female neighbor. video
The Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad in Palestine, said the army assassinated Baha’ Abu al-‘Ata, 42, and his wife Asma’ Abu al-Ata, in addition to wounding their siblings, Salim, Mohammad, Lian, and Fatima az-Zahra’, in addition to their neighbor Hanan Hallas.
All wounded Palestinians were rushed to the Shifa Medical Center in Gaza.
In an official statement, the al-Quds Brigades has confirmed the death of Abu al-‘Ata, and said he was one of its prominent leaders and personally supervised various attacks against the Israeli army, and added that he was also subject to numerous assassination attempts by Israel.
The Brigades also stated that Israel is declaring war, and that Tel Aviv will witness the retaliation and the repercussions of this assassination.
“Our response will be huge; the enemy is responsible for the outcome of its crimes, and will pay for them,” the brigades added.
The brigades started firing shells into Israel almost an hour after the army assassinated its leader and his wife.
In addition, the Hamas movement and its military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, also issued statements vowing “fierce and painful retaliation.”
Israeli sources have reported that alarm sirens were sounded in many areas south of the country, including in Ashdod, Ashkelon Beit Elazari, Karmia, and Zikim, Rishon Le Zion, and even in Holon and Rishon Le Zion suburbs in Tel Aviv.
Israel daily Haaretz has reported that all schools were canceled, and bomb shelters were opened in Tel Aviv and many surrounding areas, and in Jerusalem.
It is worth mentioning that the Israeli army, and the Shin Bet, issued a joint statement claiming responsibility for assassinating the senior Islamic Jihad leader, and added that the strike was approved by Israeli Prime Minister and Defense Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu’s office said the offensive was recommended by the Israeli Army Chief of Staff and the Shin Bet (Israel’s internal security service) and was approved by Netanyahu.
The strike came just hours before Netanyahu is scheduled to hand the defense portfolio to Naftali Bennet from the Hayamin Hehadash (The New Right) party.
In related news, the Israeli army closed all border terminals in the besieged Gaza Strip and decreased the fishing zone to six nautical miles.
All schools in Gaza have been closed amidst mounting tension of a possible massive Israeli offensive against the coastal region.
It is worth mentioning that the Israeli Air Force also carried out an attempted assassination attack targeted a Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader in the Syrian capital, Damascus, but instead killed his son.
Syrian sources said the assassination attempt targeted Akram al-Ajjouri, but led to the death of his son Moath, in addition to another person, and injured ten others, including his daughter Batoul.
10 nov 2019
A coalition of U.S. Jewish organizations sent a letter to the leaders of Israel’s political parties, warning them against full or partial annexation of occupied West Bank, Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported Thursday.
Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, pledged on September 17, 2019 to annex Jordan Valley, which makes up 30 % of the West Bank area, if he is to be re-elected.
According to liberal advocacy group J Street’s president, Jeremy Ben-Ami, “carrying out unilateral annexations in the West Bank would ultimately destroy Israeli democracy and lead the country down a disastrous path to permanent conflict.”
The letter stated that if the United States president, Donald Trump, and his administration were to endorse the annexation, Israel should not take this as a sign of long-term American policy.
“Simply put, the approach of this president does not represent the long-term interests and likely future policy of the United States,” the U.S. based Jewish groups warned.
In March 2019, the U.S. ignored a decades-long international consensus and recognized Israel’s annexation of the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.
The coalition stressed that the annexation could harm Israel’s relations with the U.S. Jewish population, because the “vast majority of American Jews support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
Thirteen groups signed the letter, Middle East Monitor reported, including ten members of the Progressive Israel Network – an umbrella coalition that includes J Street and the New Israel Fund.
Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, pledged on September 17, 2019 to annex Jordan Valley, which makes up 30 % of the West Bank area, if he is to be re-elected.
According to liberal advocacy group J Street’s president, Jeremy Ben-Ami, “carrying out unilateral annexations in the West Bank would ultimately destroy Israeli democracy and lead the country down a disastrous path to permanent conflict.”
The letter stated that if the United States president, Donald Trump, and his administration were to endorse the annexation, Israel should not take this as a sign of long-term American policy.
“Simply put, the approach of this president does not represent the long-term interests and likely future policy of the United States,” the U.S. based Jewish groups warned.
In March 2019, the U.S. ignored a decades-long international consensus and recognized Israel’s annexation of the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.
The coalition stressed that the annexation could harm Israel’s relations with the U.S. Jewish population, because the “vast majority of American Jews support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
Thirteen groups signed the letter, Middle East Monitor reported, including ten members of the Progressive Israel Network – an umbrella coalition that includes J Street and the New Israel Fund.