IDF says pro-Iranian militias in Syria attempted to launch missiles into Israel
Syrian opposition activists claim at least 18 people were killed when unidentified aircraft struck targets in the town of Al Bukamal in eastern Syria belonging to pro-Iranian militias in an area where Iran is building its biggest military base in the country to day
Israeli military said pro-Iranian militias in Syria made a fail attempt to launch missiles into Israel shorty before they'd been attacked by warplanes in a village bordering Iraq.
"The rocket fire was carried out by Shiite militias led by The Quds Force (a unit in Iran's Revolutionary Guards) from Syrian territory on the outskirts of Damascus,” said the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit. “The IDF holds the Syrian regime responsible for any action taking place on its territory."
Syrian opposition activists on Monday said at least 18 people have been killed in an aerial attack targeting pro-Iranian militias in the town of Al Bukamal in eastern Syria. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attacks by unknown warplanes, which have targeted an arms depot, began late Sunday and continued after midnight. Three explosions had been heard in the area.
Avichay Adraee, the IDF spokesperson for Arabic, also warned that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will "pay a heavy price" for his continued assistance to Iran on his country's soil.
"We warn the regime of Bashar al-Assad that it will pay a heavy price for allowing the Iranians and Shiite militias to operate from within its territory, turning a blind eye and even cooperating with them," Adraee wrote on his official Twitter account. "This thing is not hidden from us. You have been warned."
Two local activist collectives in eastern Syria - the Euphrates Post and the Sound and Pictures - also reported the airstrikes in Boukamal, without giving a death toll. The Sound and Pictures said the strikes hit an arms depot for Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces, a mostly Iran-backed Shiite militias.
Earlier, the Saudi Al Arabiya newspaper also reported the strikes targeted positions belonging to the Iran-backed Lebanese terror group Hezbollah.
Last week, Fox News reported the Islamic Republic has established its largest military base in Syria to day, located near the area attacked by unknown warplanes on Sunday. According to the report, Iran is in the process of moving thousands of troops into the facility.
The satellite images, obtained through Western intelligence sources, show the military compound has been constructed on the Syria-Iraq border near near Al Bukamal, where Israel reportedly attacked Iranian targets on several occasions over the past few months.
Israel views Iran as its greatest threat and has allegedly struck Iran-linked targets as far away as Iraq in recent weeks.
Associated Press contributed to this report
