israeli Air Force Provokes Syria by Targeting Syrian Mortars in Golan Heights as Fighting Escalates

The Israel Air Force (IAF) attacked Syrian artillery positions in the Golan Heights on Tuesday night amid a sharp rise in cross-border shooting incidents.

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon raised concerns that the United States' move to supply various Gulf Arab states with arms as a counterweight to Iran could weaken Israel's own US-backed regional military dominance. 

 

"In response to the projectiles which hit Israel today, IAF targeted artillery positions of the Syrian Regime in the Syrian Golan Heights," the statement by the Israel Defense Force spokesperson read. 

 

Stray shells hit Israel-occupied territories five times within the past ten days as the Syrian offensive on militants along the border spilled over into Israel. Hostilities between Israeli and Syrian forces escalated early Tuesday after the Syrian military said it had downed an Israeli warplane and a drone in retaliation for the latest airstrikes.

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