The Israeli Air Force on Saturday attacked a facility in southern Syria belonging to the Gaza-based Hamas terrorist organization, the IDF said.
“A short while ago, Israeli Air Force fighter jets, guided by the Intelligence Directorate and Northern Command, struck a Hamas weapons storage facility in the Deir Ali area of southern Syria. The weapons were intended for perpetrating terror attacks against IDF forces,” the Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson’s Unit said.
“The Palestinian terror organizations, led by Hamas, operate by exploiting Syrian territory to establish terrorist activities under Iranian direction,” the military added.
It went on to say that Israel will continue to strike Hamas “wherever it attempts to establish itself” and will act against terrorist efforts “to expand and strengthen [their forces].”
Last week, Israeli soldiers stationed in the Syrian part of the Golan Heights were fired upon.
“The troops operating at the scene responded by firing shots toward the area from which the shots were identified,” the IDF said in a statement, without giving further details.
No injuries were reported in the incident, and the soldiers continued with their military activity, the statement read.
Following the collapse of the Bashar Assad regime in December at the hands of a Sunni jihadist uprising, Israel took control of part of the Syrian side of the Golan Heights in commanding terrain along the border, in what was described a temporary protective measure against hostile elements.
However, during a visit to the Syrian side of Mount Hermon on Tuesday, Defense Minister Israel Katz said, “The IDF will remain at the summit of the Hermon and the security zone indefinitely to ensure the security of the communities of the Golan Heights and the north, and all the residents of Israel.”