Israeli Helicopters Attack Southern Syria, Strike Army Positions

Army says Syria is violating Israeli sovereignty over occupied territory

Overnight, Israeli helicopters attacked military targets in southern Syria’s Quneitra area, causing “material damage” but seemingly no casualties. Israeli officials claimed this was retaliation for a “violation of Israeli sovereignty.”

The “violation” saw Israeli forces killing four Syrians they accused of planting explosives in the occupied Golan Heights. Internationally, Golan is considered part of Syria, though Israel has annexed it and insists they will keep it.

Israel’s Army says they hold Syria fully responsible for not only what they did, but also for the Israeli attacks that followed. Again, there is no report of further casualties from the Israeli helicopter strikes, but Syrian air defenses were activated.

Israeli attacks in Quneitra were common when rebels were active in the area, but more recently Israeli attacks on Syria mostly just target Iran. This means more attacks are likely at any time, though they also tend to have limited impact.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.