Syria-Fired Missile Strikes Israel, Triggering Retaliation
Syria-Fired Missile Strikes Israel, Triggering Retaliation
(Bloomberg) --
A missile fired from Syria landed in southern Israel, triggering an Israeli military attack on rocket batteries near the Syrian capital, Damascus.
The Israeli military said air raid sirens sounded in the Bedouin village of Abu Qrenat near Dimona, the site of Israel’s main nuclear reactor and a suspected nuclear weapons facility. Military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Conricus said a “stray” surface-to-air missile fired from Syria landed in an open area in Israel’s south, though not close to the Dimona reactor.
The flare-up took place amid worsening tensions between Israel and Iran, which has troops and proxies stationed in Syria.
Earlier this month, Iran accused Israel of sabotaging its largest uranium enrichment plant in an attempt to derail efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. The arch-enemies have also accused each other of targeting their shipping in recent weeks.
“When someone commits evil, they shouldn’t expect that evil won’t come back to them and create problems for them,” Deputy Coordinator of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Mohammad Reza Naqdi said on Thursday, according to the semi-official Young Journalists’ Club. He didn’t comment on who fired the missile or whether Iran was involved.
Israel opposes the nuclear accord, saying it doesn’t do enough to prevent Iran from building a bomb or address its activities in the region. Tehran denies its nuclear program has a military component.
Syria’s official SANA news agency said four soldiers were wounded in the Israeli attack near the capital.
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