Israeli Chief of Staff Accuses Iran of Planting Explosives in Golan Heights

 Israeli Chief of Staff Accuses Iran of Planting Explosives in Golan Heights
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Israeli Chief of Staff Accuses Iran of Planting Explosives in Golan Heights

 Israeli Chief of Staff Accuses Iran of Planting Explosives in Golan Heights

The four members of the Syrian cell who died while planting several explosives in Golan Heights earlier this week were operating on Iranian orders, Israel Forces Chief of General Staff Aviv Kochavi said on Friday.

Kochavi said Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and al-Quds Brigade were directly responsible for this cell.

The General was speaking during a meeting with soldiers from the Maglan reconnaissance unit, who foiled last week's attack.

He said that the cell operated on direct Iranian orders, contrary to early assumptions that claimed it belonged to the Lebanese Hezbollah and was trying to avenge the killing of one of its members in Damascus last month.

Kochavi stated that the goals of the “war between wars” were to foil the establishment of a radical axis on the northern front, and prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

The General stressed that Israel would continue to work to prevent its enemies from acquiring dangerous weaponry.

“We are going to continue this process of striking our enemies and depriving them of these abilities 360 degrees, from the northern arena to Judea and Samaria, in the southern arena and in other various circles that we will not discuss here,” he said.

Kochavi called on his officers to be vigilant, analyze the current situation in the various fields, and propose the best solutions that preserve the Israeli "superiority".

Another military official indicated that Tehran’s envoys to the Golan Heights were trying to recruit young Syrians for their military purposes, and a Syrian militia affiliated with Iran was leading its members.

He explained that Iran was taking advantage of the dire economic situations in southern Syria, and offered a salary equivalent to $20 a month to each new recruit.

The official explained how that was not limited to the cell, but a widely spread phenomenon where hundreds of young Syrians joined the Iranian units.

He indicated that Iran’s expansion activities continued despite an Israeli-Russian-Iranian understanding to keep forces 80 kilometers from the frontier on the Golan Heights.



Israeli Military Says it Struck 'Key' Hamas Figure in Lebanon's Tripoli

People gather near a damaged car after the Israeli military said in a statement that it struck a "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas, in Ayrounieh, northern Lebanon July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Walid Saleh
People gather near a damaged car after the Israeli military said in a statement that it struck a "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas, in Ayrounieh, northern Lebanon July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Walid Saleh
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Israeli Military Says it Struck 'Key' Hamas Figure in Lebanon's Tripoli

People gather near a damaged car after the Israeli military said in a statement that it struck a "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas, in Ayrounieh, northern Lebanon July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Walid Saleh
People gather near a damaged car after the Israeli military said in a statement that it struck a "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas, in Ayrounieh, northern Lebanon July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Walid Saleh

The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had struck "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas near the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, the first targeted killing in the area for several months.

In a statement, Israel's military did not give the identity of the targeted person. There was no immediate comment from Hamas.

Lebanese state media said a car had been hit near Tripoli and the health ministry reported two people were killed and three others wounded, without identifying them, Reuters reported.

Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups maintain a presence in various areas of Lebanon, mostly in camps that have housed displaced Palestinians for decades.

Since Hamas' cross-border attack from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel in 2023, Israel has carried out targeted strikes on Lebanese armed group Hezbollah as well as members of Palestinian factions in Lebanon.

Hamas' deputy chief was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs in early 2024, and other strikes hit Palestinian camps in northern Lebanon.

A US-brokered ceasefire last year ended the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, though Israel has continued to carry out strikes on what it says are Hezbollah arms depots and fighters, mostly in southern Lebanon.

Tuesday's strike near Tripoli was the first time a targeted assassination had taken place in the area since the truce.

Meanwhile, US envoy Thomas Barrack continued a two-day visit to Lebanon to discuss disarming Hezbollah and other militant groups.