Israel hits multiple Iranian targets in Syria

The Israeli military on Thursday hit an unprecedented number of Iranian targets in neighboring Syria hours after Iran staged a rocket attack on Israeli bases in the Golan Heights. Israel said it targeted Iran’s weapons storage, logistic sites, and intelligence centers in Syria in its most extensive attack since the 1973 war with Syria. The violence started when Iran’s Al Quds force fired 20 rockets at Israeli positions in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said it intercepted four of the rockets while others missed their targets. The Russian Defense Ministry in a statement said Israeli fighter jets fired about 60 air-to-surface missiles and 10 tactical surface-to-surface missiles during the two-hour raid. Iran’s state-run SANA news agency confirmed the attack, but the country has yet to announce any casualties. Conricus said Israel does not want to escalate the situation but will remain on “very high alert,” adding, “Should there be another Iranian attack, we will be ready for it.” Israel has increasingly stepped up its military response amid fears that Iran, backed by Lebanon’s Hezbollah, will increasingly use Syria as a foothold against Israel. Iran had vowed to stage a retaliatory attack after a suspected Israeli airstrike last month targeted an air base in Syria, killing at least seven Iranian military staff members.