It was a night of rocket fire into the Golan Heights followed by retaliatory strikes by the Israel Air Force. Twenty rockets were fired by Iranian forces in Syria close to midnight. Despite this, Golan Heights residents were instructed to maintain their regular schedules today, Thursday, 25 Iyar, and the same is for schools and all institutions in those areas.
The numerous Iron Dome systems deployed in northern Israel before and after the alert was declared successfully intercepted some of the rockets. IDF Spokesman Brigadier-General Ronen Manelis told Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) on Thursday morning that not a single rocket landed in Israel, stressing Israel has been carefully monitoring the situation in Syria and was ready for the attack, and the immediate retaliatory attack.
The northern area was put on high alert on Tuesday and bomb shelters were ordered open in the Golan Heights following reports of “irregular activity of Iranian forces operating in Syria”.
Syria’s capital of Damascus shook with sounds of explosions just before dawn Thursday, and firing by Syrian air defenses over the city was heard throughout the night.
An Israeli official said Israel was targeting Iranian positions inside Syria. Syria’s state news agency SANA quoted a Syrian military official as saying Israeli missiles hit air defense positions, radar stations and a weapons warehouse, but claimed many of the incoming rockets were intercepted.
The IDF Spokesman reports the IAF targeted “dozens of Iranian objectives in Syria”, in what is described as one of the largest air strikes in many years. The response was immediate, minutes after the Iron Dome intercepted incoming rockets. The IDF Spokesman also released warning messages to the Syrians and Iranians in Arabic.
Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, an IDF spokesman, said earlier that Iran’s al-Quds force fired the rockets at several Israeli bases, though he would not say how Israel determined the Iranian involvement.
In the municipality of Kiryat Shmona decided to act on its own, opening public bomb shelters without instructions to do so by the IDF Homefront Command.
Hours prior to the attack, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, to discuss the situation in Syria vis-à-vis Iran and the latter’s ongoing efforts to establish a powerbase in Syria. Following the lengthy meeting, Mr. Netanyahu stated, “I have just finished almost ten hours in the company of President Putin. We attended very moving events – the parade marking the victory over the Nazis and other events, and of course there were also good and useful talks.
“|In these talks I presented our perspective on issues including Iran’s secret nuclear archive and, of course, the current tension.
“I presented Israel’s obligation and right to defend itself against Iranian aggression, from Syrian territory. The Iranians declare their intention to attack us. They are trying to transfer forces and deadly weapons there with the explicit goal of attacking the State of Israel as part of their strategy to destroy the State of Israel.
“I told President Putin that it is the right of every state, certainly it is Israel’s right, to take such steps as are necessary to defend itself against this aggression. I think that matters were presented in a direct and forthright manner, and this is important. These matters are very important to Israel’s security at all times and especially at this time.”
The accompanying video show the Iranians preparing for the assault against Israel, the route used for the rocket launchers, and IDF strikes.
The map was provided by the IDF, showing where the air force attacked in response to the Iranian rocket fire over the border.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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Despite Rocket Fire & the IAF Retaliation, Northern Israel Resumes Regular Routine Thursday Morning, but in Tzfas they where NOT able to sleep all night because of the noise the IDF provided!!!!!!!