Three rockets were fired from Syria into Israel on Saturday (April 8th), the Israeli military reported, following similar fire from neighboring Lebanon in recent days. These shots, not immediately claimed, illustrate the strong resurgence of violence currently affecting the Middle East.
One of the rockets “fell in a wasteland in the southern Golan Heights” annexed by Israel, the army said in a short statement, without giving further details. She had previously said warning sirens had sounded in that area.
Saturday’s firing follows an unprecedented escalation on the Israeli-Lebanese front since 2006. On Thursday, around 30 rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel, injuring one person and causing material damage.
The Israeli army claimed that the unclaimed shootings were “Palestinians”, and most likely the Islamist movement Hamas, in power in the Gaza Strip. The army retaliated by carrying out strikes in Gaza and southern Lebanon.
Israel and Lebanon are technically in a state of war after different conflicts and the ceasefire line is monitored by the United Nations Interim Force, deployed in southern Lebanon.
Two attacks on Friday
This new outbreak of violence comes after the brutal irruption of Israeli forces in the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem on Wednesday, in the middle of Ramadan, which aroused numerous condemnations.
The Palestinian Health Ministry reported on Saturday that a Palestinian was shot and killed by Israeli forces in the northern occupied West Bank. The 20-year-old died of bullets “of occupation” (Israel) in the chest and belly, in Azzun, near the town of Qalqilyah, the ministry said in a short statement, without specifying the circumstances. The Israeli army explained that it carried out routine activity in Azzun, where “suspects” they’ve thrown “an explosive device” to his soldiers. These latter have “retaliated by opening fire”. The army states in its press release that“an affected person has been identified”, and that there had been no injuries in its ranks.
On Friday night, a car bombing in Tel Aviv claimed the life of an Italian and injured seven people, according to the Israeli police. Earlier Friday, two Israeli-British sisters were killed in another attack in the West Bank, Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense confirmed on Saturday evening that it was mobilizing soldiers to support the police and announced that it would tighten entry restrictions into Israel for Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip, particularly workers.
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Since the beginning of January, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has cost the lives of at least 92 Palestinians, eighteen Israelis, a Ukrainian and an Italian, according to a count by Agence France-Presse compiled from official Israeli and Palestinian sources.