Golan Heights Targeted by 2 Rockets from Syria; Israel Strikes Back in Response; and More
ISRAEL – Israeli-occupied Golan Heights was on Tuesday targeted by 2 rockets which the public broadcaster KAN stated that were fired from Syria.
According to Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth daily, warning sirens were activated in the communities of Haspin and Ramat Magshimim in the southern Golan Heights.
“Details are being investigated,” the daily quoted an Israeli army spokesperson as saying.
Residents in the affected areas reported hearing explosions shortly after sirens were triggered, Yedioth Ahronoth said.
The Israeli army responded with artillery toward the source of the rocket fire, it added.
The Syrian News Agency (SANA) reported that “the Israeli occupation targeted the Yarmouk area with artillery fire” but provided no details.
The Israeli army said its artillery “struck in southern Syria following the projectiles launched toward Israeli territory.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz held Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa “directly responsible for every threat and firing at the State of Israel.”
He said in an X post that “the full response will come as soon as possible.”
The Syrian Foreign Ministry’s media office said in a statement carried by Saudi Arabia’s state-run Al-Ikhbariya TV channel that “we have not verified the accuracy of the reports about rockets launched toward the Israeli side.”
“We believe various parties may be attempting to destabilize the region to advance their own interests,” the statement added.
The ministry emphasized that Syria “has not and will not pose a threat to any party in the region,” adding the government’s top priority in southern Syria is to “reassert state authority and eliminate weapons outside the framework of official institutions, ensuring safety and stability for all citizens.”
The ministry also condemned “Israel’s deliberate targeting of villages and towns in Daraa province,” saying the strikes caused significant civilian casualties and material damage.
“This escalation is a blatant violation of Syrian sovereignty and only fuels regional tension at a time when de-escalation and peaceful solutions are urgently needed,” it said.
It urged the international community to “fulfill its responsibilities by halting these attacks and supporting efforts to restore security and stability in Syria and the broader region.”
Following the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, Israel intensified its air campaign in Syria, targeting military sites, vehicles and ammunition depots, killing civilians, Israeli media outlets reported.
Israel has occupied most of the Syrian Golan Heights since 1967. After Assad’s fall, Israel seized control of the buffer zone in the area and declared the collapse of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between the two sides.
On May 7, Al-Sharaa revealed that “indirect talks” were underway between Syria and Israel through intermediaries to de-escalate tensions. He called on Israel to “cease its reckless actions and interference in Syrian affairs.”
Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in December, ending the Baath Party’s regime, which had been in power since 1963.
Al-Sharaa, who led anti-regime forces to oust Assad, was declared president for a transitional period in January.
Missile Launched from Yemen Intercepted
Separately, the Israeli army said that it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen following sirens that sounded in several areas, including the Galilee area.
Israeli Army Radio said that air raid sirens were activated in the Dan region, Jerusalem and Nof HaGalil.
Yemen’s Houthi group announced that it launched a military operation targeting Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv using a hypersonic ballistic missile, according to a recorded statement released by the group’s military spokesperson Yahya Saree on his X account.
No damage or casualties were reported from the two attacks.
The Houthis have intensified missile and drone strikes on Israel since Tel Aviv resumed military attacks on Gaza in March.
Since November 2023, the Houthis have also targeted commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where more than 54,500 people have been killed in an Israeli offensive.
