In a recent incident, the Israeli military reported that two rockets were launched from Syria targeting the Golan Heights, which is under Israeli control. This marks the first such action from Syrian territory since the deposition of Syria’s former leader, Bashar Assad, last December.
Responding to the rocket fire, Syrian state media indicated that Israel proceeded to shell areas in Daraa province in Western Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, operating out of the U.K., confirmed the presence of Israeli airstrikes, describing intense explosions near Quneitra and across Daraa’s countryside.
A relatively new group going by the name Mohammed Deif Brigades, which honors a Hamas military leader killed in an Israeli attack last year in Gaza, has taken credit for this strike via a post on Telegram. This faction only recently appeared on social media platforms and lacks widespread recognition.
Ahmed Aba Zeid, a researcher specializing in the study of militant groups in southern Syria, commented, “At this point, it’s difficult to ascertain if this is a legitimate faction or simply a social media presence.”
Reacting to the aggression, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz emphasized that Israel holds “the Syrian president directly accountable for any threats and aggression against the State of Israel.” Katz further stated that Israel would execute a “comprehensive response” at the earliest opportunity.
Israel remains wary of the Islamist former rebels who now form Syria’s new governing body led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa. Since Assad’s ousting, Israel has carried out numerous airstrikes within Syria and has seized a U.N.-controlled buffer zone on the Syrian side.
A statement from Syria’s foreign ministry, broadcast by state media, claimed an absence of verification regarding the attacks supposedly originating from Syrian soil. “Syria reaffirms its non-aggressive stance towards any regional entity,” the ministry asserted, condemning the ensuing Israeli bombardment for causing “extensive human and material damage.”
Meanwhile, the U.S., which has gradually improved relations with al-Sharaa’s regime and has recently eased certain sanctions on Syria, has been advocating for détente between Syria and Israel. In a conversation with the Jewish Journal, al-Sharaa expressed a desire to revisit the 1974 ceasefire accord between the two nations. However, he refrained from suggesting immediate diplomatic normalization, insisting that “peace demands mutual respect, rather than intimidation.”