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Israel hits Islamic Jihad in Syria after rocket fire from Gaza

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What happened: The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed that Israeli Air Force fighter jets attacked Islamic Jihad targets in Syria and the Gaza Strip last night.

  • The airstrikes were launched in response to more than 30 rockets being fired from Gaza into Israel. The Iron Dome air defence system intercepted at least 16 rockets. Property damage was reported and an elderly resident of Ashkelon sustained light injuries while running for shelter.
  • The IDF said it attacked an Islamic Jihad weapons manufacturing and research centre outside of Damascus. Islamic Jihad said two of its members were killed but Syrian sources said at least six people were killed. Palestinian Islamic Jihad denied that a senior official, Akram Ajuri, had been killed.
  • Dozens of Islamic Jihad targets in the Gaza Strip were also attacked including underground infrastructure and a rocket manufacturing centre in Rafah, the Headquarters of the Islamic Jihad’s Khan Yunis Brigade and military equipment used by their naval commando force. Palestinian sources said four people were injured.
  • The conflict started when two Islamic Jihad operatives were killed by Israeli forces as they tried to place a bomb next to the Gaza border fence. An Israeli army bulldozer then retrieved one of the bodies. Islamic Jihad said the incident “constitutes blatant aggression, and Israel must bear responsibility for this aggression.”

 

Context: Islamic Jihad took responsibility for yesterday’s rocket attacks and said they were launched in response to Israeli forces removing the body of one of its operatives.

  • The decision to remove the body was part of Defence Minister Naftali Bennett’s plan to to use bodies as “bargaining chips” in negotiations to secure the release of two Israeli citizens, and the remains of two fallen Israeli soldiers, who are being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
  • On Saturday night, MK Avigdor Liberman, the former defence minister and head of Yisrael Beiteinu broke military reporting restrictions and revealed that the head of Mossad, Yossi Cohen and the head of the IDF Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi, visited Qatar earlier this month to ask its leaders to continue their payments to Hamas in order to help maintain calm inside the Gaza Strip.
  • Last week, Israel agreed to ease restrictions on the Gaza Strip to assist the humanitarian and economic situation and try to avoid a severe escalation in violence before Israel’s election on 2 March.
  • Last night, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, took the opportunity to criticise Prime Minister Netanyahu, saying, “Israel’s government is Hamas’ hostage. Haniyeh is extorting Netanyahu and he’s paying it with suitcases full of dollars.”
  • From 12-14 November 2019, approximately 460 rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel following the assassination of Abu al Atta a senior Islamic Jihad commander. 49 Israelis were injured in the attacks. Israeli airstrikes in response killed 34 Palestinians and injured 100. The IDF said 25 of those killed were Islamic Jihad operatives.

 

Looking ahead: Prime Minister Netanyahu will hold a meeting this morning with defence and intelligence chiefs to assess the situation and agree a response.

  • Egyptian Intelligence officials and the UN Middle East envoy, Nikolay Mladenov, are attempting to broker a ceasefire but Islamic Jihad has not yet agreed and may launch more rockets today in response to last night’s attacks.
  • As with November’s Gaza conflict, Hamas is staying out of the fighting but may join in if there is a wider escalation.
  • As a precaution, the Israeli army closed schools in several communities in the south, affecting 65,000 students and closed major roads close to the Gaza strip.