| ABC News | - |
The Syrian
government said Monday a series of Israeli airstrikes targeting its
troops in retaliation for a deadly cross-border attack killed four
people and wounded nine others, in its first comment on the overnight
incident.
Israeli leader warns Syrian factions against attacking, threatens more reprisals
Syria: 4 Killed, 9 Wounded in Israeli Airstrikes
The Syrian government said Monday a series of Israeli airstrikes
targeting its troops in retaliation for a deadly cross-border attack
killed four people and wounded nine others, in its first comment on the
overnight incident.
It said the attack was a "flagrant violation" of Syrian sovereignty, but
in a departure from previous incidents when Israeli warplanes struck
targets in Syria, the government did not vow retaliation.
Israel's prime minister on Monday warned the warring parties in Syria
against any attempt to heat up tensions along the disputed frontier,
hours after the Israeli air force carried out a string of airstrikes in
Syria in response to the attack, which killed an Israeli teenager riding
in a civilian vehicle.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would respond with even tougher force if there are any further attacks.
"Last night we operated with great force against Syrian targets that
acted against us, and if needed we will use additional force," he told
members of his Likud Party. "We will continue to forcefully hurt anyone
who attacks us or tries to attack us."
The Israeli military said the air raids struck nine targets in neighboring Syria.
A statement issued by Syria's Foreign Ministry said five Israeli
warplanes carried out the raids, which were accompanied by mortar rounds
and tank shells.
It said four people were killed and nine others wounded, adding that the
attacks caused extensive damage to Syrian army positions and equipment.
It did not provide further details.
The director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights,
Rami Abdurrahman, said the Israeli strikes destroyed two tanks, two
artillery batteries and the headquarters of Syria's 90th brigade.
The Observatory collects its information through a network of activists inside Syria.
The Israeli military said "direct hits were confirmed" on the targets,
which were located near the site of Sunday's violence in the Golan
Heights and included a regional military command center and unspecified
"launching positions."
Israel has kept a close eye on the Syrian uprising since it began in
March 2011, although it has avoided backing either side. On several
occasions, artillery rounds have landed on the Israeli side of the de
facto border, drawing limited Israeli reprisals.
Israel also has carried out several airstrikes in Syria over the past
three years, primarily targeting suspected weapons shipments allegedly
destined for Hezbollah militants in neighboring Lebanon. In each of the
cases, the Syrian government vowed retaliation, but refrained from
taking any action.
The latest air raids, however, came after an Israeli civilian vehicle
was struck by what the Israeli military said was a Kornet anti-tank
missile fired from the Syrian side of the border as it drove in the
Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.
A teenage Israeli boy was killed and two other people were wounded in
what was the first deadly incident along the volatile Israeli-Syrian
frontier since the start of the Syrian civil war.
It was not clear whether the attack was by government troops or rebels.
But Israeli officials said suspicion was focused on Syria or its
Hezbollah allies, since both are known to possess Kornet missiles.
Israel captured the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau overlooking
northern Israel, from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war. Its subsequent
annexation of the area has never been recognized internationally.
Israel has repeatedly said it holds the Syrian government responsible
for any attacks emanating from its territory, regardless of who actually
carries them out.
Israeli security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because
they were not allowed to talk to the media, said they did not expect the
situation to escalate immediately but that it remains tense. Much would
depend on Syria's response to the Israeli airstrikes, they said.
Defense officials have feared that Hezbollah or some other militant
group might try to open a new front with Israel at a time when the army
is carrying out a broad operation in the West Bank. Thousands of troops
have been searching for three teenagers who disappeared on June 12 and
are believed to have been kidnapped by Palestinian militants.
Sunday's incident occurred in the area of Tel Hazeka, near the Quneitra
crossing. The Observatory said Syrian troops had shelled nearby targets
on the Syrian border earlier in the day.
Israeli police identified the boy as Mohammed Krakra, 14, of the Arab
village of Arabeh in northern Israel. Local media said he had
accompanied his father, the truck driver, to work.
———
Federman reported from Jerusalem.
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