As 21WIRE reported earlier this week, Israel’s violation of Lebanese airspace (supposedly to bomb a Hezbollah convoy driving from Syria to Lebanon) prompted the Syrian Arab Army to launch a SA-5 (S-200) ground to air missile, towards the Israeli jets flying over Lebanon, which then prompted the Israeli Air Force to retaliate by flying over the occupied Golan Heights and target a Syria Army ground position.
The total number of Israeli attacks against Syria since 2011 could number as high as 20, however, as veteran Middle East correspondent Elijah J. Magnier points out, this exchange marked an important new shift in Israel’s rules of engagement against Syria and Hezbollah in Syrian and Lebanese territory.
Israel’s response has been rather bellicose to say the least, as the US-backed rogue state continues to thwart the “rules-based international community” through its systematic violation of international law under the elastic guise of ‘defending itself.’
Now it’s threatening everything just short of all-out war with its neighbor Syria – even though Syria has never attacked Israel.
Antiwar.com reports…
Claiming more stray artillery fire landing inside the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Israeli officials are promising to “step up” their strikes against Syrian military targets in response, including attacks over the weekend in southern Syria.
Throughout the Syrian War, Israel has repeatedly attacked Syrian military targets. Syria has insisted that cross-border stray shells weren’t fired by them in the first place, accusing Israel of “framing” them to justify the attacks.
Israel doesn’t appear to really deny that, saying they don’t bother to try to figure out who [like Al Nusra Front and ISIS] fired anything that crosses into their occupied territory, and that they consider the Syrian military responsible for everything. This works quite well, as Israeli politicians have been very public about preferring a rebel victory, even an ISIS victory, in Syria.
Syria’s Foreign Ministry has urged the UN to rebuke Israel over the attacks, saying they are violations of the UN Charter. They have further warned continued Israeli attacks would have “grave consequences.”
SEE MORE ISRAEL NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Israel Files
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