Tensions Soar as Israel Launches Strikes on Syria After Rocket Fire
Israel has carried out a fresh wave of airstrikes on southern Syria in response to reports that two projectiles were launched into its territory earlier on Tuesday. The Israeli military targeted what it described as weapons facilities, while Syria’s foreign ministry accused Israel of deliberately seeking to destabilize the region.
According to Syrian authorities, the strikes resulted in “significant human and material losses.” However, the exact number of casualties remains unclear.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz pointed the finger at Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa, holding him directly accountable for the rocket launches.
The military confrontation comes despite recent attempts to reduce hostilities between the two countries. Since Sharaa’s rebel coalition ousted former president Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, Israel has ramped up military actions aimed at crippling Syria’s defense infrastructure.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring body, reported powerful explosions in Quneitra and the Daraa region, confirming that the Israeli jets struck multiple targets.
Syria denounced the airstrikes as a “flagrant violation of sovereignty,” asserting that Damascus has “never posed a threat to anyone in the region.”
While Israeli officials said the projectiles caused no injuries and landed in open fields, they also emphasized that any fire from Syria would be met with retaliation. “We hold the Syrian leadership fully responsible for all hostile acts,” said Minister Katz.
Notably, this incident marks the first reported launch of projectiles from Syrian territory since Assad’s downfall. It remains unknown who was behind the firing.
In response to Assad’s ouster, Israel has intensified its military presence near Syria and encouraged settlement growth in the disputed Golan Heights, a territory seized in 1976 and still considered illegally occupied under international law.
Last month, Israeli warplanes targeted areas near Syria’s presidential palace in Damascus. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said the strike was a stern warning against any military presence advancing near southern Syria.
Meanwhile, international voices have condemned Israel’s aggressive stance. UN Secretary-General António Guterres criticized the Damascus airstrike, calling it a violation of Syrian sovereignty.
Adding to the diplomatic complexity, U.S. President Donald Trump recently announced plans to lift long-standing sanctions on Syria. The restrictions were originally imposed in response to war crimes committed during Syria’s devastating civil war, which left more than 600,000 people dead and displaced millions.
As violence escalates once more, global concerns are rising over a potential return to wider conflict in the already volatile Middle East.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iriXyYizSjY
