Israel launched a barrage of air strikes on 50 Iranian targets in Syria — a massive escalation that could lead to all-out war

Israel’s military launched a barrage of missile strikes on Iranian targets based in Syria early Thursday morning, a massive retaliation in an ongoing conflict between the two bitter enemies.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) claimed fighter jets took down “dozens” of Iranian military targets in Syria overnight Thursday. The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit told Israel’s Channel 10 Newsthat more than 50 targets were hit in the strike.

In a series of tweets, the army said the strikes were in response to Iranian rockets launched at IDF positions in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights earlier that night.

The IDF included an animated video of how the military act unfolded, featuring footage reportedly from the strike.

“This Iranian aggression is another proof of the intentions behind the establishment of the Iranian regime in Syria and the threat it poses to Israel and regional stability,” it said.

The IDF said it would “not allow the Iranian threat to establish itself in Syria,” and that it would hold the Assad regime accountable for the escalation of violence within its borders.

The official IDF Spokesperson, Brigadier General Ronen Manelis, told Channel 10 that Israeli airstrikes hit Iranian intelligence facilities, logistic headquarters, observation posts, weapon storage facilities, and a vehicle used to launch rockets into Israeli territory.

Manelis said the strike was the largest attack carried out by Israeli in Syria since the two signed an agreement following the end of the 1973 Arab-Israeli War.

It is also the first time Israel directly pointed blame at Iran for firing into Israeli territory.

 

Read the full article written by Rosie Pepper at the Business Insider Australia.