Syria says would ‘never be a threat', after rocket fire on Israel
Syrian authorities insisted Wednesday they would 'never be a threat' to anyone in the region, after Israel bombed the country's south in retaliation for overnight rocket fire on the Golan Heights.
Israeli media said the projectiles were the first launched from Syria into Israeli territory since the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, with two unknown groups claiming responsibility.
The Israeli military said 'two projectiles were identified crossing from Syria into Israeli territory, and fell in open areas.' It later said it struck 'weapons' belonging to the Syrian government in retaliation.
Defense Minister Israel Katz held Syria's leader 'directly responsible.'
Syria condemned the Israeli shelling as a 'blatant violation of Syrian sovereignty' that 'aggravates tensions in the region.'
'Syria has never been and will never be a threat to anyone in the region,' the foreign ministry said, in a statement carried by the official SANA news agency.
The ministry denied responsibility and said it could not confirm whether rockets were launched towards Israel, blaming 'numerous parties... trying to destabilize the region.'
There were no reports of casualties or damage on the Israeli side from the projectiles, which the military said triggered air raid sirens in the southern Golan Heights, a territory Israel seized from Syria in 1967 and annexed in 1981.
Katz said in a statement that 'we view the president of Syria as directly responsible for any threat or fire directed at the State of Israel.'
Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa led the group that spearheaded the offensive that toppled Assad.
Following Assad's overthrow, Israel moved its forces into the UN-patrolled demilitarized zone in the Golan, and has carried out hundreds of strikes against military targets in Syria.
Israel says the strikes aim to stop advanced weapons from reaching Syria's new authorities, whom it considers extremists.
Escalation
A group called the 'Martyr Mohammed al-Deif Brigades', named after the Hamas commander killed by Israel in the Gaza Strip, released a video it said showed the moment the rockets landed in the occupied Golan Heights.
A second group known as the 'Islamic Resistance Front in Syria' claimed responsibility for launching the two rockets at Israel. The group was created a few months ago and called for action against Israel from south Syria.
AFP was unable to verify the authenticity of their claims.
SANA reported Israeli shelling 'targeting the Yarmuk Basin, in the west of Daraa' province.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said bombardments had hit farmland in the province, without reporting casualties.
'Violent explosions shook southern Syria, notably the town of Quneitra and the Daraa region, following Israeli aerial strikes' overnight, the Britain-based war monitor said.
Since taking over, Sharaa has said Syria does not want conflict with its neighbors, urging international pressure on Israel to halt its attacks.
Analyst Bassam al-Suleiman said those benefiting from the escalation were 'Iran and its militias', former Assad allies with a past presence in Syria.
A strong government in Damascus 'apparently contradicts the Israeli vision for Syria' as a weak neighbor, he said.
Israel's recurring bombings of Syrian army infrastructure 'hinders the emergence of a force capable of controlling all of Syria', Suleiman added.
Syria and Israel have technically been at war since 1948.
US President Donald Trump last month lifted sanctions on Syria and expressed hope for eventual normalization with Israel -- though analysts say that remains unlikely.
During a visit to Damascus last week, US Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack proposed a 'non-aggression agreement' as a starting point between the two countries.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Asharq Al-Awsat
38 minutes ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Iran Orders Material from China to Produce 800 Ballistic Missiles
Iran has ordered thousands of tons of ballistic-missile ingredients from China, people familiar with the transaction told The Wall Street Journal, seeking to rebuild its military prowess as it discusses the future of its nuclear program with the US. The report, which cited people familiar with the transaction, said Tehran had ordered enough ammonium perchlorate to potentially manufacture up to 800 missiles. It said the material is used to produce solid-fuel missiles. 'Shipments of ammonium perchlorate are expected to reach Iran in coming months and could fuel hundreds of ballistic missiles,' the people said. Some of the material would likely be sent to militias in the region aligned with Iran, including Houthis in Yemen. According to the Journal, Iran's drive to expand its missile stockpile and strengthen its regional proxies comes as it continues to enrich uranium to levels just below weapons grade and has refused to place limits on its missile development as part of nuclear negotiations. President Donald Trump said he discussed the issue during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin 'Time is running out on Iran's decision pertaining to nuclear weapons,' Trump wrote Wednesday in a social-media post. Part of rebuilding Iran's 'Axis of Resistance' The shipment of ammonium perchlorate is part of Iran's broader efforts to rebuild its so-called "Axis of Resistance" network. The ammonium perchlorate was ordered by an Iranian entity called Pishgaman Tejarat Rafi Novin Co. from the Hong Kong-based Lion Commodities Holdings Ltd, the Journal reported. China's Foreign Ministry told the Journal that Beijing was unaware of a contract for such a shipment. 'The Chinese side has always exercised strict control over dual-use items in accordance with China's export control laws and regulations and its international obligations,' said the spokesperson. Iran has been looking for ways to rebuild its network of regional proxies, the so-called Axis of Resistance, after Israel struck Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and the Assad regime in Syria. While US and Israeli strikes have damaged the Houthis' capabilities in Yemen, they continue to periodically launch missiles at Israel. The Journal said that beyond supporting regional militias, Iran has also reportedly transferred ballistic missiles to Shiite militia groups in Iraq, which have previously targeted both US and Israeli forces in the region. Earlier this year, Iranian ships docked in China to load over 1,000 tons of sodium perchlorate, a precursor for ammonium perchlorate. The material was delivered to Iranian ports in mid-February and late March, according to shipping trackers. This quantity of sodium perchlorate is said to be enough to fuel around 260 short-range missiles. The new order for ammonium perchlorate, which was placed months before President Trump's proposed nuclear talks with Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, in early March, could supply Iran with enough material to produce approximately 800 missiles, one official estimated. In response to Iran's missile activities, the US Treasury Department sanctioned six individuals and six entities from both Iran and China on April 29 for their involvement in procuring ballistic missile propellant ingredients. Two weeks later, the Treasury expanded these sanctions to include additional Chinese and Hong Kong entities. It added sodium perchlorate to its list of materials linked to Iran's military, nuclear, and missile activities. A State Department official said, 'Chinese entities and individuals have provided support to Iran's ballistic missile program, as well as to the Houthis' missile and UAV production efforts, which is why we continue to identify and sanction them.' Possible Threats Fabian Hinz, a military expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said 'Iran likely needs material from abroad to avoid bottlenecks in its domestic production capabilities.' However, storing such materials poses significant risks. In April, a deadly explosion at Shahid Rajaee port, Iran's key container hub, killed dozens. State media attributed the blast to the mishandling of explosive materials by a unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force. An official confirmed that some of the previously imported sodium perchlorate was destroyed in the incident. 'These substances are a major fire and explosive hazard,' Hinz warned. 'Iran's defense industrial complex does not have a strong track record in ensuring safety standards.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
an hour ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Johnny Moore… What Do We Know About Chairman of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation
As the world condemned the killings this week of dozens of hungry Palestinians near US-backed aid sites in Gaza, the group responsible for distributing that aid quietly appointed a new leader: an evangelical Christian with ties to the Trump administration. The group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which was founded last year, announced on Tuesday that Johnnie Moore, an American public relations professional, would be its new executive chairman after the previous chief quit. Moore's appointment comes as the foundation, which began handing out food boxes last week, temporarily halted operations on Wednesday to work on 'organization and efficiency.' It had been racked by a resignation in its ranks, chaos at its distribution sites and violence nearby, including two shooting episodes in which dozens of Palestinians were killed, according to local health workers. Here is what to know about Moore and his ties to the Trump administration. A presence in the Oval Office Moore was a spokesman for Liberty University, the Christian institution founded in Lynchburg, Virginia., in 1971 by the Rev. Jerry Falwell, for a dozen years before moving into the media industry and starting his own faith-based public relations firm. He represented early evangelical supporters of President Trump, including Jerry Falwell Jr, who succeeded his father at Liberty University, and Paula White, who now leads the White House faith office. Moore was co-chairman of the 2016 Trump presidential campaign's evangelical advisory board and an influential figure during Trump's first administration. He was part of a coalition of Christian leaders who paid regular visits to the White House, attending policy briefings, as well as prayer meetings in the Oval Office. His public relations company, Kairos, was acquired in 2022 by JDA Worldwide, and Moore now serves as president of that larger firm. When he announced the acquisition on social media, Moore referred to his work in public relations as his 'day job' as he has had many other roles and projects linked to his faith and interest in foreign policy, including writing books on the persecution of Christians in the Middle East and Africa. In 2017, Moore told The New York Times that he and other evangelicals had pressed Trump to recognize Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem and to move the US Embassy there. 'It has been an issue of priority for a long time,' he said. Moore describes himself as 'a bridge builder and peacemaker especially known for consequential work at the intersection of faith and foreign policy, especially in the Middle East.' The embassy move drew condemnation from Palestinian and Arab leaders, the heads of many Christian churches in Jerusalem and much of the international community, which has long viewed the status of Jerusalem as a matter to be resolved through negotiations over a future Palestinian state. A cheerleader for Mike Huckabee Moore, like many evangelicals, including Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, is committed to a Jewish state based on his interpretation of the Bible. Some evangelicals view their support for Israel as an important element of their belief in biblical prophecy. Speaking to The Washington Post in 2018, Moore said he had advised White House officials that 'those who bless Israel will be blessed.' Moore cheered Huckabee's nomination, saying on social media in November that 'selecting a lifelong non-Jewish Zionist as the US ambassador to Israel sends a powerful message to friend and foe of America.' Huckabee, 69, and Moore, 41, have walked similar paths as public figures and Christian media creators, and they have been described as friends in Israeli news media. The embassy did not respond to a request for comment on their relationship. The new face of a troubled Gaza organization Israel imposed a blockade on supplies entering the Gaza Strip in March, accusing Hamas of looting humanitarian aid. That embargo was lifted to a limited degree last month, after the international community raised alarms about widespread hunger in the enclave. Israelis conceived of the new system to establish aid distribution sites run by American security contractors in the enclave. It was meant, officials said, to circumvent Hamas, which Israel accused of stealing assistance meant for civilians. But the rollout of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's operation has been chaotic. Its previous head resigned hours before the initiative was set to begin late last month, citing a lack of autonomy. On Tuesday, Boston Consulting Group, a US advisory firm, said that it had stepped back from its involvement with the organization, that it had placed a partner who had worked on the project on leave and that it would conduct an internal review of its work. Humanitarian organizations have criticized the foundation's approach to aid distribution for a lack of independence from Israel, whose soldiers are positioned near the sites and have fired what the Israeli military has called 'warning' shots on multiple occasions. And the United Nations has refused to have anything to do with the effort because it says Israel is militarizing and politicizing humanitarian assistance and putting Palestinians in danger. As reports of disarray at aid distribution sites emerged during the project's first week, Moore said the effort was 'working' and should be 'celebrated.' When the Gazan health authorities reported shooting deaths near one of the foundation's sites, Moore reposted a statement from Huckabee accusing the news media and Hamas of spreading misinformation. Moore lists 18 years of service with World Help, a Christian humanitarian organization, among his volunteer experiences, along with his new appointment at the Gaza foundation and his roles on various advisory boards, including that of the nonpartisan advocacy group Muslim Coalition for America and Haifa University in Israel. In a statement about his appointment, Moore said he would help 'ensure the humanitarian aid community and the broader international community understand what's taking place on the ground.' The foundation declined a request for an interview. *Ephrat Livni is a reporter for The New York Times' DealBook newsletter, based in Washington.
Asharq Al-Awsat
2 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Israel Says Retrieved Body of Thai Hostage Kidnapped into Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023
Israel says it has retrieved the body of a Thai hostage kidnapped into Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023. The Prime Minister's office said Saturday that the body of Thai citizen Nattapong Pinta was returned to Israel in a special military operation. Pinta was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz and killed in captivity near the start of the war, said the government. Thais were the largest group of foreigners held captive by Hamas gunmen. This comes two days after the bodies of two Israeli-American hostages were retrieved. Fifty-five hostages remain in Gaza, of whom Israel says more than half are dead. The defense minister said Saturday that Pinta's body was retrieved from the Rafah area. He had come to Israel from Thailand to work in agriculture. On Thursday, Israel retrieved the bodies of Judih Weinstein and Gad Haggai, both of whom had Israeli and US citizenship. This comes as Israel continues its operation in Gaza. At least 22 people were killed by Israeli strikes overnight Friday into Saturday.
