Israel came under rocket fire from Syria for the first time on Monday evening, marking the first attack since the new government came to power in Damascus.
The rockets were fired from the Deraa area and fell in an unpopulated area in the Golan Heights, causing no casualties or damage. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by a group calling itself the “Martyr Muhammad Deif Brigades.”
This is the first recorded case of missiles being fired at Israel from Syrian territory since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime and the coming to power of President Ahmad al-Sharaa. The Israeli army (IDF) responded with artillery strikes on the positions from which the missiles were launched.
At the same time, the Houthis in Yemen fired a ballistic missile towards central Israel. The missile was successfully intercepted by the missile defence system, but air raid sirens went off in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and other densely populated areas of the country. Millions of citizens were forced to take shelter in bomb shelters.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said he considers Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa “directly responsible for any threat and any attack against the State of Israel.” He added that a full response would be given in the near future and that Israel “will not allow a return to the reality of October 7.”
According to analysts, the shelling underscores the growing threat from regional groups linked to Iran and points to a possible shift in the balance of power on Israel’s northern border.
