Israel says it bombs several jihadist positions. Tensions with the Palestinians are growing.
- The conflict between the army and Islamic jihad escalates in Israel .
- The radical Palestinian organization had shot at Israeli territory.
- The Israeli army responded with missiles.
Update, February 25, 2020, 8:44 a.m .:
After two days of rocket attacks on Israel, the radical Palestinian organization Islamic Jihad unilaterally announced a ceasefire on Tuesday night. A spokesman for the group announced that it had been in effect since Monday night at 11:30 p.m. local time (10:30 p.m. CET). An Israeli army spokeswoman confirmed that no projectile had been fired from the Gaza Strip until Tuesday morning.
Just a week before a general election in Israel, the conflict with Islamic jihad escalated again. The group had fired dozens of missiles at Israel after Israeli soldiers shot one of its militant members in an attack on the Gaza border on Sunday. Israel's air force then bombed Islamic jihad targets in Syria and the Gaza Strip. Six people were killed in Syria, two jihadist members and four members of pro-Iranian militias, according to the Syrian Human Rights Observatory.
Israel fires rockets into Gaza and Syria
First report, February 24, 2020, 7:00 a.m .: After rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip, Israel said it had bombed targets in the Palestinian Territory and in Syria . The Israeli attacks late on Sunday evening were directed against positions by the militant Palestinian organization Islamic Jihad, the Israeli forces said. Islamic Jihad is also active in Syria.
Israel: Army attacks Islamic Jihad targets
The Israeli army therefore attacked Islamic jihad positions in the southern suburbs of Damascus. According to activists, six people were killed. Among them was a "hub" for the activities of the organization in Syria. A correspondent for the AFP news agency in Damascus heard several strong explosions shortly before midnight. The Syrian state news agency Sana reported that "most of the enemy missiles" had been shot down before they reached their targets.
Israel * has carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria against the rulers of Bashar al-Assad, Iranian targets and militias allied with Iran since the start of the Syrian civil war * in 2011. Iran stands alongside al-Assad in the conflict.
Más de 30 cohetes fueron disparados desde #Gaza por terroristas contra poblados israelíes anoche. Algunos cohetes fueron interceptados por el sistema Cúpula de Hierro.
Los niños en el sur de #Israel no van a la escuela hoy por la situación de seguridad. pic.twitter.com/VjnA7R8pde
Earlier that evening, more than 20 rockets and mortar shells had been fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip, according to the army. Shortly after dark, alarm sirens sounded in the city of Ashkelon and in other places in southern Israel. However, according to the Israeli armed forces, no one was seriously injured by the attacks.
Israel: Body with bulldozer removed
Israeli air defense intercepted more than a dozen of the projectiles. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the shelling of the Israeli territory. The organization described this as retaliation for the killing of one of its fighters earlier on Sunday on the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel.
A fireball caused by a rocket strike illuminates the night sky over Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
© AFP
Israeli soldiers shot the 27-year-old because he said he wanted to plant a bomb. Afterwards, a bulldozer from the Israeli armed forces recovered the body of the Palestinian, an army spokeswoman said.
Marvin Ziegele with AFP
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is charged with corruption. If convicted, he faces a long prison sentence.
* fr.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.
Rubric list image: © AFP