Israeli Force Penetrates Syrian Territory to Thwart ‘Bombing Operation’

Israeli soldiers at a military post in the Golan Heights (AFP)
Israeli soldiers at a military post in the Golan Heights (AFP)
TT
20

Israeli Force Penetrates Syrian Territory to Thwart ‘Bombing Operation’

Israeli soldiers at a military post in the Golan Heights (AFP)
Israeli soldiers at a military post in the Golan Heights (AFP)

Tel Aviv announced on Monday that Israeli troops had entered Syrian territory in the Golan Heights to pursue a group of four male Syrians it accuses of planning an armed attack against its patrols.

In the operation, one of the Syrian suspects was seriously injured and was flown by a helicopter to receive treatment at an Israeli hospital near Tiberias. The other three perpetrators, however, managed to escape deeper into Syrian territory.

According to the Israeli account, four Syrian men approached the border in the heart of the occupied Golan and threw unknown objects towards a dirt route on which the Israeli army patrols.

It later turned out that the objects hurled on the road included a mine that did not explode.

An Israeli military force affiliated with the 402nd Artillery Brigade penetrated the border and opened live fire at the suspects as they fled the scene.

Israeli troops fired at the suspects without first confirming if they were armed or not.

According to a report made by the hospital treating the shot suspect, the wounded perpetrator was in a “serious and unstable” condition.

Moreover, the report revealed that the suspect was transferred to the operating room to undergo surgery.

The Israeli operation into Syrian territory is not the first of its kind. Israeli forces on the occupied side of the Golan heights have previously come under fire from the liberated Syrian territory in the Golan.

For their part, Israeli forces are known for firing at anyone who approaches the border.

In September 2018, the Israeli army announced that its soldiers had fired at a group of Syrian gunmen near the border wall in the Golan. The justification for the firing was that the Syrians came too close to Israeli soldiers.



Aoun Condemns Attempts to Drag Lebanon Anew into Violence

FILED - 17 January 2025, Lebanon, Baabda: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference at Baabda Palace. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa
FILED - 17 January 2025, Lebanon, Baabda: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference at Baabda Palace. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa
TT
20

Aoun Condemns Attempts to Drag Lebanon Anew into Violence

FILED - 17 January 2025, Lebanon, Baabda: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference at Baabda Palace. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa
FILED - 17 January 2025, Lebanon, Baabda: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference at Baabda Palace. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned on Saturday Israel’s attempts to drag Lebanon once again into the endless “spiral of violence”, following Israeli claims that it had intercepted three missiles launched from south Lebanon.
A statement released by the Lebanese Presidency said that Aoun called for "avoiding any repercussions and ensuring control over any violations that could endanger the nation during these sensitive times."
Aoun has directed the Army Commander, General Rodolphe Haikal, to “take all necessary field measures to ensure the safety of citizens and conduct investigations regarding the incident”, added the statement.
Also in a statement, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, asked the Lebanese military to take all necessary measures in the south, but said the country did not want to return to war.
He reaffirmed that “only the state holds the authority to decide on matters of war and peace."
The Prime Minister also contacted Janine Plasschaert, the UN Secretary-General's Personal Representative in Lebanon, during which he urged the United Nations to "intensify international pressure on Israel to fully withdraw from the occupied Lebanese territories”.
He emphasized that Israel’s “occupation violates UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and the ceasefire arrangements established by the previous government in November, to which Lebanon remains committed".

On Saturday, Israeli artillery and airstrikes hit south Lebanon after Israel said it had intercepted rockets fired from across the border, a clash endangering a shaky truce that ended a year-long war between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

That conflict marked the deadliest spillover of the Gaza war, rumbling across the border for months before escalating into a blistering Israeli offensive that wiped out Hezbollah's top commanders, many of its fighters and much of its arsenal.