The press service of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported that the Special Forces unit of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, the Quds Force, had used a BM-27 Uragan (Hurricane), a USSR-made multiple launch rocket system, to shell Israeli territory. In response to the alleged attack, Israel fired dozens of missiles on several targets in Syria, with the IDF saying that they targeted Quds' arms depots at the international airport of Damascus, intelligence centers, headquarters and logistical sites.
READ MORE: US Fears its al-Tanf Base in Syria May be Captured by Iranian Forces – Reports
An Iranian military correspondent, Hassan Shemshadi, told Sputnik that the Iranian military had not suffered any losses, and the strikes had not damaged strategic military facilities, adding that Israel was provoking Tehran to turn to military action in Syria, playing up to US President Donald Trump.
“Israel has always been on the other side of the barricade, since the war in Syria broke out 7 years ago. We don’t have a slightest doubt that Israel was assisting terrorists in Syria. Everything is documented in photographs, satellite footage and even Israeli officials had made statements, confirming their support,” he said.
The correspondent went on to say that the Syrian army had reportedly fired up to 50 missiles at the enemy’s strategic position in the Golan Heights – something that was not covered by the media, and Israel remained silent, preferring to blame the attack on the Quds forces.
In his opinion, any Israeli attack has a purpose: previously Tel Aviv had struck Syrian military convoys, claiming they were smuggling weapons to Lebanon; this time the Jewish state allegedly sought to curb the Iranian presence in Syria and tried to drive its military out of Syria by all means. While Iranian military advisers maintain their presence in the war-ravaged country at the Syrian government’s request, the United States remains there illegally, with Israel demanding that Iran maintain neither military bases nor personnel in the country.
At the same time, US President Donald Trump announced his decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, which the expert believes implies that having attacked alleged Iranian positions, Israel purportedly sought to demonstrate that Washington had done the right thing.
Shemshadi proceeded to say that Israel wanted to show the world that the country is a threat to Tel Aviv’s security and also a threat to the entire region, even to Europe.
Earlier this week, Israel launched dozens of missiles on alleged Iranian positions in Syria in response to a purported Iranian rocket barrage on Israeli frontier positions in the Golan Heights. Tehran has denied its military presence in Syria, saying there are only military advisers, who help the government’s army in their fight against terrorists.
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Sputnik.
