Israel strikes Iranian targets in Syria, 23 reported killed, mostly Iranians

“The attack took place in response to the launching of rockets by an Iranian force from Syrian territory into Israeli territory,” says the IDF. 

By World Israel News Staff 

Israel Air Force fighter jets attacked in Syria overnight, striking “dozens of military targets” belonging to the Iranian Quds Force and Syrian army, according to the Israeli army spokesman on Wednesday.

According to reports, 23 people were killed, mostly Iranians, by Israel’s airstrikes in Syria.

“The targets included surface-to-air missiles, command headquarters, weapons depots, and military bases,” said the Israeli military in a statement on Twitter.

“The attack was carried out in response to the launching of rockets by an Iranian force from Syrian territory into Israeli territory and an intent to cause damage in Israeli territory,” the statement added.

“We, as a military, will not allow Iran to entrench in Syria. We will not put up with Iranian entrenchment on our border and will stand up against it,” vowed the IDF spokesman.

The Israeli military also released a map which illustrated the locations of the targets which the Israeli jets struck, most near the Syrian capital of Damascus, but also close to the Syrian-Israeli border.

The IDF said that the attacks from Syria had come on Tuesday morning.

“Four rockets were fired at us,” said the statement on Twitter, adding that they were “intercepted by Iron Dome [air defense] batteries.”

The Israeli military says that it is “prepared for an attack and any scenario,” but that in the meantime, Israeli citizens living in the northern part of the country near the Syrian border could proceed with their daily routines.

“If there is a need for special instructions, they should be followed,” the IDF spokesman cautioned.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly warned that Israel will not allow Iranian “entrenchment” in Syria and has raised the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country has a crucial presence in Syria, and with U.S. officials, amid President Donald Trump’s withdrawal of troops from Syria.