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A10 WORLD NEWS
Monday 29 october 2018

After Gaza strikes, Israel threatens Iranian forces in Syria

By FARES AKRAM militants in several weeks. said. “We know that the themselves. But Israel’s mis- and Israel. A fifth protester
JOSEF FEDERMAN Opening a new front in Syr- orders, incentives were sion could become much succumbed to his wound
Associated Press ia could put Israel in open given from Damascus with more complicated follow- Saturday, the Health Minis-
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip confrontation with heav- the clear involvement of ing Russia’s decision to try said.
(AP) — Palestinian militants Egyptian mediators have
ceased rocket attacks been trying to prevent
from Gaza into Israel and a full-blown conflict be-
relative calm prevailed tween Hamas and Israel for
Saturday afternoon after months. Conricus said that
a night-long exchange of Israel had struck over 80
fire that prompted Israeli sites across Gaza, includ-
threats against Iranian forc- ing training camps, weap-
es in Syria. ons storage facilities and a
The Islamic Jihad group, a Hamas security headquar-
militant faction operating ters building. COGAT, the
in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Israeli defense body that
but that has close ties to handles Palestinian civilian
Iran and Syria, said they issues, said one of the rock-
agreed to Egyptian media- ets hit an ambulance cross-
tion efforts and halted the ing used to transfer Gazans
rocket fire, the heaviest out of the strip in emergen-
to emanate from Gaza in cy humanitarian cases.
months. “To what low have the
“The Egyptian efforts led to terrorist organizations in
understandings to restore the Gaza Strip reached?”
calm to Gaza Strip. We Smoke rises from an explosion caused by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018. wrote COGAT command-
appreciate the Egyptian Associated Press er, Maj. Gen. Kamil Abu
endeavor and hope for all Rukun, on his Arabic Face-
kinds of (Israeli) aggression ily armed Iranian and He- the Iranian Revolutionary transfer sophisticated S-300 book page.
to stop,” said Khaled al- zbollah forces, along with Guard Quds Force.” anti-aircraft missiles to Syria. In Gaza, most of the air-
Batsh, an Islamic Jihad of- recently deployed Russian “From our perspective, part Russia deployed the missiles strikes hit open spaces used
ficial. anti-aircraft systems. of the address by which we after a Russian warplane by militants for training and
Hamas, the larger militant Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, will deal with this fire is also was shot down over Syrian possibly weapons storage.
group that controls Gaza, an Israeli military spokes- in Damascus and the Quds skies last month. Russia has But in northern Gaza, the
accused Israel of resort- man, said that 34 rockets Force,” he added. “Our re- blamed Israel for the mis- Health Ministry said that
ing to military escalation had been fired at Israel sponse is not limited geo- hap, saying that Syria ac- the main hospital in the
“to evade obligations” of throughout the night. Isra- graphically.” cidentally shot down the area was damaged after
a comprehensive cease- el’s Iron Dome rocket-de- Iran has sent its forces, plane while reacting to an a nearby Hamas training
fire that Hamas has long fense system intercepted along with those of Hezbol- Israeli air raid. camp was hit. Footage
sought. Hamas wants the 13 rockets, two landed in lah and other Shiite militias, Israel and Russia have showed cables and wires
deal to end a crippling Is- Gaza and the remain- to Syria to back President maintained a hotline to dropping from collapsed
raeli-Egyptian blockade on der fell in open spaces in Bashar Assad in the civil prevent their air forces from ceilings in the wards.
Gaza. southern Israel, he said. In war there. As the war winds coming into contact with In Gaza City, an airstrike hit
There has been no immedi- response, Israel hit over 80 down, Israel has repeat- one another over Syrian an abandoned, unfinished
ate comment from Israel on targets in Gaza. edly warned that it will not skies. Israeli media have building, flattening the
truce. It has said its fighter Conricus said Islamic Jihad allow its archenemy Iran to reported that Russia has three-story structure. That
jets struck dozens of targets had fired the rockets under establish a permanent mili- become less cooperative building appeared to be
across Gaza and accused instructions from Iran’s Al tary presence in postwar since the downing of the the one identified by Israel
Iranian forces in Damascus Quds Force based in Syria Syria. plane. as a security headquarters.
of orchestrating the bar- and said that Israel was Throughout the seven-year The fighting in Gaza fol- Although Islamic Jihad of-
rages. considering taking action war, Israel has already car- lowed a bloody day of bor- ten acts independently of
The threats toward Iranian against the Iranians in re- ried out scores of airstrikes der protests Friday in which Hamas, Israel holds Hamas,
forces in Syria added a new sponse. in Syria, mostly against sus- Israeli forces shot and killed which has ruled Gaza since
dimension to what was al- “We have seen and estab- pected Iranian weapons four Palestinians protesting 2007, responsible for all
ready the heaviest fighting lished a clear link between shipments to Hezbollah but along the perimeter fence fire emanating from the
between Israel and Gaza Gaza and Damascus,” he also against the Iranians dividing Hamas-ruled Gaza territory.q