Israel: 20 Rockets Fired at the Golan Heights; 'Missile Attacks on Damascus'

The Israeli army announced that in the early hours of Thursday, May 20, forces affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in Syria fired about 20 rockets at Israeli positions in the Golan Heights, some of which were intercepted. This comes as Syrian state media reported hours after the attacks that Israel targeted the Al-Kiswah area near Damascus. The Syrian government stated that it intercepted and destroyed several Israeli missiles. According to the Associated Press, an Israeli military official previously accused the Revolutionary Guard and Quds Force of launching rockets at Israeli positions, and Israeli forces responded to this attack. The Israeli army claims that the Iron Dome defense system intercepted several of these rockets and that there were no casualties or injuries from the attacks. Meanwhile, the Al-Mayadeen network reported that Syrian forces responded to the Israeli attack by targeting an area in Quneitra. Tensions between Israel and Iran in Syria have escalated in recent months, with Iranian forces and Hezbollah aiding Bashar al-Assad's government in the country's civil war. Reuters reported that Israel has carried out attacks on Hezbollah and Iranian positions in Syria in recent months. In this context, SANA, the official Syrian news agency, reported on Tuesday night that the Al-Kiswah base in the Damascus countryside was targeted. This news agency attributed the attack to Israel but stated that 'Syrian air defenses intercepted two Israeli missiles.' Israeli media also reported that Iranian warehouses and missile systems at the Al-Kiswah base were targeted. Israel has not officially claimed responsibility for this attack, but according to the Ynet news site, statements from the country's intelligence minister indicate that Israel conducted the attack. Syrian media previously reported that Israel carried out another attack on Syria on Tuesday night. Hours before that, the Israeli army claimed that 'suspicious movements of Iran and its allies were observed in the Golan.' Earlier, Israeli media quoted military officials stating that Iran was seeking 'revenge' for its losses in previous attacks attributed to Israel. Israeli soldiers assessed in conversations with their media that Iran was planning a 'limited missile attack' on northern Israel for revenge. Gadi Eisenkot, the Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, held a meeting with commanders in the Golan on Wednesday. However, the Tuesday night attack targeted a Syrian military base located 14 kilometers southwest of Damascus, far from the Golan border. Israel had previously claimed that Syria had handed over this base to Iranian forces. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Wednesday that eight of the fifteen killed in the Al-Kiswah attack were Iranian soldiers. If this report is accurate, the number of Iranian casualties in the last three months of attacks attributed to Israel in Syria has reached at least 33.