Israeli military officials have confirmed that they were behind nine bombings inside of Syria. The Associated Press reported that “direct hits were confirmed.” The bombings came in response to a recent attack on the Israeli-Syrian border that resulted in the death of a 15-year-old Israeli boy. The death occurred in Tel Hazeka, near the Quneitra crossing. Israeli military spokesman, Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, told the Associated Press that the Syrian attack was “clearly intentional.”
It is unclear whether government or rebel forces were behind the Syrian attack. Regardless, Israel argues that the attack was unprovoked. In Israeli fashion, the counter attack only targeted confirmed military sites. No civilian casualties have been reported at this time.
Those who knew Mohammed Qaraqara, the Arab Israeli teenager killed by the Syrian attack, only had good things to say. Salah Qaraqara, the teen’s cousin, told Reuters, “He was an excellent student, everyone loved him.” In a public statement Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “Our enemies don’t differentiate between Jews and non-Jews, adults and children.”
The tension in the Golan Heights is nothing new. The region has been under strain since Israel captured the area after the 1967 Middle East war. Since then, U.N. observers have been placed along the 45-mile demilitarized zone that separates Israel and Syria. The two countries are technically still at war with one another, though the majority of the firings into Israel were related to the internal conflict in Syria. This newest one though, was not.
When Syria does initiate conflict with Israel however, Israel makes sure its responses are meaningful ones. In March, Israel countered with airstrikes targeted at significant Syrian military facilities after Syria injured four Israeli soldiers in a bombing. However, Israel has been known to carry out preemptive airstrikes aimed at disrupting trade between Hezbollah and the Syrian government.
Photo: U.S Air Force in the Public Domain
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