A Long March 5B rocket lifted off from the Wenchang launch site on China’s southern Hainan island on May 5, 2020. Chinese state media reported the “successful” launch of the new rocket, describing it as a major test of China’s ambitions to operate a permanent space station and eventually send astronauts to the Moon. (Photo by STR/AFP)
Israeli forces have struck multiple military targets in Syria in retaliation for six rockets that were launched into the territory Israel controls overnight. In a rare attack from its northeastern neighbour, Syria fired the rockets at Israel’s Golan Heights in two batches; only three of the missiles fell within Israeli territory and no injuries were reported. According to the Mail Online, the Syrian attack followed an Israeli raid on one of Jerusalem’s holiest mosques during Ramadan, with videos allegedly showing Israeli police beating Palestinians with batons and rifle butts at the site.
After the second round of overnight rockets, Israeli forces confirmed they responded with artillery fire into the Syrian area from which the rockets were launched. Later, the military said Israeli fighter jets attacked Syrian army sites, including a compound of Syria’s 4th Division and radar and artillery posts. The Israeli military stated that it “sees the State of Syria responsible for all activities occurring within its territory and will not allow any attempts to violate Israeli sovereignty.”
Damascus‑based Palestinian group Al‑Quds Brigade, loyal to the Syrian regime, claimed responsibility for launching the three missiles on Saturday, according to Lebanese channel Al‑Mayadeen TV. The group said the rockets were fired in retaliation for the police raid on the sensitive holy site Al‑Aqsa Mosque. An adviser to Syrian President Bashar Assad described the strikes as “part of the previous, present and continuing response to the brutal enemy.”
The cross‑border attacks come amid heightened tension in Lebanon, Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank, coinciding with the overlap of Ramadan, Passover and Easter. The raid on Al‑Aqsa Mosque has spurred increased violence; on Friday, two British‑Israeli sisters, Maya and Rina Dee, were shot dead in the occupied West Bank, allegedly by Palestinian gunmen.
In the first rocket attack on Saturday, one rocket landed in a field in the Israel‑annexed Golan Heights. Fragments of another destroyed missile fell into Jordanian territory near the Syrian border, Jordan’s military reported.
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