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Israeli strikes in Syria and Gaza kill two Islamic Jihad fighters Israeli strikes in Syria and Gaza kill two Islamic Jihad fighters
(about 2 hours later)
Israel launches fresh strikes after its killing of a fighter on the Gaza border at the weekend prompted rocket fire from GazaIsrael launches fresh strikes after its killing of a fighter on the Gaza border at the weekend prompted rocket fire from Gaza
Israeli aircraft have struck the Islamic Jihad militant group in the Gaza Strip and Syria, killing two fighters after the group fired rockets into Israel in response to the death of a Jihad militant along the Gaza-Israel border. Israeli jets have launched airstrikes against Islamic Jihad targets in the Gaza Strip and Syria, killing two militants, in retaliation for several barrages of rocket attacks fired by the group into Israel.
In the latest tit-for-tat violence late on Sunday ahead of a fresh general election, the Israeli Air Force targeted “Islamic Jihad terror sites” throughout Gaza and near the Syrian capital, Damascus, a military statement said. The intense violence erupted after an Islamic Jihad militant was shot dead while attempting to plant a bomb at the fence that separates Gaza and Israel, according to the Israeli military.
It followed more than 20 rockets and mortars fired from Gaza, themselves a response to the killing of a Jihad militant along the Gaza-Israel border. Tensions exploded after a graphic video was later shared on social media showing what appeared to be an Israeli army bulldozer scooping up the body, and apparently firing on Palestinians nearby who rushed to try to retrieve the body.
Islamic Jihad, which along with allied group Hamas has fought three wars with Israel since 2008, operates in both Gaza, which lies to the west of Israel, and Syria, which is to the north of the Jewish state. The Guardian has been unable to verify the video, but it was widely decried online. It also appeared in line with a controversial new policy announced last year by Israel’s far-right defence minister, Naftali Bennett. He said he intended to hoard the bodies of militants from Gaza to use as bargaining chips with Palestinian militants in body-swap deals.
The Israeli army said it had struck Islamic Jihad targets on the outskirts of Damascus, including a base “used as a hub” for the group’s activities. During Sunday night, around 30 rockets and mortar shells were fired into southern Israel from the Gaza Strip. Many of them were intercepted by the country’s state-of-the-art Iron Dome anti-rocket system while others fell in open areas. Some shrapnel damaged builds, but there were no reported injuries.
Islamic Jihad confirmed early on Monday that two of its fighters were killed. Further hostilities are expected, and the army said it was closing roads, schools, and a train line near the Gaza Strip.
Since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria, mainly targeting government forces as well as allied Iranian forces and Hezbollah fighters. It is rare for them to claim such strikes directly. Israel said it bombed sites across Gaza, a thin, impoverished slice of land that the country, in coordination with Egypt, has blockaded for more than a decade.
The Israeli military said it had struck “dozens” of Islamic Jihad targets throughout Gaza. A military aircraft also fired at a group of men preparing to launch rockets near the border, the army said. According to a military statement, targets included underground bunkers, compounds used to store materials used for manufacturing of rockets, and an anti-tank missile training site.
Health officials in Gaza said four people were wounded in the strikes. “The [Israel Defense Forces] will respond to any terror acts of the Islamic Jihad that endanger Israeli civilians and harm its sovereignty,” it said.
Earlier on Sunday, more than 20 rockets and mortars were launched from Gaza towards Israel, setting off warning sirens in the southern city of Ashkelon and several other locations, the army said. Medics in Gaza said four people were wounded in the strikes, without identifying them.
More than a dozen were intercepted by Iron Dome missile defence system, the Israeli army said, adding there were no reports of serious injuries in Israel. Israel and militants in Gaza have frequently clashed during the past two years, with Israeli jets and helicopters bombing the strip while Palestinian fighters launch projectiles at nearby Israeli towns and cities. Typically, the flare-ups die down after a day or two, with no apparent gains for either side.
Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the rockets, calling them a response to the killing of one its fighters along the Gaza border early on Sunday. Unusually, and opposed to its regular attacks on Gaza, the Israel military also made the rare admission of bombing Syrian territory. It announced on Monday that it had bombed an Islamic Jihad site near Damascus used for manufacturing rocket fuel. Islamic Jihad confirmed early on Monday that two of its fighters were killed.
Israel said the man had been part of a cell seeking to plant an explosive device on the border fence. While Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria, it normally does not acknowledge them, fearing reprisals.
A video later emerged on social media showing a bulldozer approaching a body while a group of young, apparently unarmed men, were trying to retrieve it. The sound of gunfire is heard and the men ultimately run away as the bulldozer scoops up the body. But the country has recently taken a more overtly aggressive approach against its arch-enemy, Iran, which has established a foothold in neighbouring Syria amid the ruins of the civil war.
Israel’s defence minister Naftali Bennett has pursued a policy of retaining the bodies of militants from Gaza as bargaining chips to pressure Hamas, which has held the bodies of two Israeli soldiers since 2014. Islamic Jihad is considered an Iranian proxy force and is based in Damascus. The group is also the second-largest Palestinian militant faction in Gaza after the strip’s rulers, Hamas.
Hamas is also believed to be detaining two Israeli citizens who entered Gaza separately and whose families say suffer from mental illness. In November, Islamic Jihad and Israel fought a three-day conflict that left 35 Palestinians dead, including a family of eight. The violence began after Israel launched two targeted assassination attempts against senior Islamic Jihad figures.
In November, Islamic Jihad and Israel fought a three-day conflict that left 35 Palestinians dead and more than 100 wounded, according to official figures. Israel has long held Hamas responsible for all rockets fired out of Gaza, but informal agreements between the two sides have seen a reduction in violence and the slight easing of the blockade, including allowing more Palestinians into Israel for work.
Under the informal agreements in the past year, Israel has slightly eased a blockade of the impoverished Palestinian enclave in exchange for relative calm. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has attempted to maintain quiet before Israeli elections set for 2 March.
Islamic Jihad, however, is believed to have become frustrated with such deals.