Israel said 20 rockets were fired at their military positions in the Israeli-occupied territory between north-eastern Israel and south-western Syria. Israel says it retaliated with airstrikes overnight, claiming they took out "nearly all" of Iran's military sites in Syria. "We hit nearly all the Iranian infrastructure in Syria," said Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman.
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said:
"The United Kingdom condemns in the strongest terms the Iranian rocket attacks against Israeli forces. We strongly support Israel's right to defend itself. We urge Iran to refrain from further actions which will only lead to increased instability in the region. It is crucial to avoid any further escalations, which would be in no one's interest."It was a seemingly firm statement from Johnson, but he offered no response to claims that Israel had attacked Syria, targeting Iranian positions near the capital Damascus the day before. A number of sources often cited by the UK government said the Israeli strike hit an Iranian arms depot.
Comment: This would be the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an unreliable Western propaganda source.
When asked about the claims, an Israeli military spokeswoman said: "We do not respond to such foreign reports," stated Lebanon's Daily Star. The Independent reported that nine people are thought to have been killed by the Israeli airstrikes, including Hezbollah militia fighters and members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard.
Comment: If Iran has no bases nor military operations in Syria, this would be unlikely.
In the wake of these claims, there have been questions as to why the British government regards Israeli actions as retaliation, when it appears that Iranian forces were the first to be targeted in an apparent tit-for-tat exchange.
The first alleged Israeli attacks on Iranian military positions in Syria this week occurred just hours after President Donald Trump announced that the United States would be pulling out of the historic 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu had recently staged a presentation to tell the world that "Iran lied," actively pursuing nuclear weapons contrary to the commitments of the Iran deal, illustrating his points with super-sized letters - just in case his audience didn't really get the scale of the accusations. Few were left wondering who Bibi was targeting with the childish slides.
There appears to be a perfect dovetailing of Trump and Netanyahu when it comes to their positions on Iran and Syria, operating seamlessly over the last few weeks.
The surge in tensions between Israel and Iran-Syria will be seen by many as a worrying development. It is reportedly the first time since 1974 that there have been military clashes over the Israeli-occupied Syrian territory of the Golan Heights.
Palestine Opinion USA EU Al-Khaleej, United Arab Emirates “Participation in the aggression” On May 9, Al-Khaleej newspaper carried the following lead editorial: “There is quasi-consensus among analysts and American and Western research and studies centers that the United States does not have a clear and specific strategy in the Middle East, and that the only constant is the fact that “Israel” is part of American national security, which requires its provision with military, political and diplomatic support, and the prevention of its condemnation in whichever international forum to allow it to freely do whatever is necessary to uphold its security, regardless of whether or not this violates international legitimacy and law. And American President Donald Trump’s recognition of the Jewish character of “Israel” with Jerusalem as its capital, and his transfer of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the latter city, reflects this exceptional and unique relationship with the occupation’s mini-state...
“In parallel, the participation of a prominent American delegation in the celebration of the so-called “independence of Israel,” i.e. the 70th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, and the inauguration of the US Embassy building in occupied Jerusalem, constitutes an arrogant defiance of the Palestinians, Arabs, international legitimacy and all human values, placing the US and the countries that followed in its footsteps and moved their embassies to Jerusalem City among the states supporting the aggression, racism and the occupation. By adopting such a decision, the US validated the mistrust felt towards it as a superpower talking about justice, human rights and liberty, and claiming to defend human values, after all that talk turned out to be mere nonsense. In light of its actions towards the Arabs, the Palestinians and the world populations, and its disregarding of the international pacts and agreements, the US can no longer play a role or be a partner in peace and the achievement of global security.
“Indeed, this contradicts its nature, role and policies, which are based on interference, hegemony, and the launching of wars outside the context of international legitimacy. And the US’ participation in the commemoration of the establishment of the occupation’s mini-state is a form of participation in the aggression, a denial of Palestinian rights, a provocation to more than 350 million Arabs, and a challenging of more than 1.5 billion Muslims... So, any initiative by the US in regard to Palestine under whichever name is a mined initiative with questionable goals and objectives..., because those who support the aggression, the occupation, the settlements and expansion cannot be taking into account or recognizing the principles of right and justice...”