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Israel strikes Gaza and Syria after Palestinian rocket attacks
Israeli aircraft hit what the military said were Islamic Jihad sites in the Gaza Strip and Syria late Sunday, after the Palestinian militant group fired a barrage of rockets at Israel. In a new flareup a week ahead of a fresh general election in the Jewish state, the Israeli Air Force carried out strikes on "dozens of Islamic Jihad terror sites" throughout Gaza and near the Syrian capital Damascus, a military statement said. There were no immediate reports of fatalities in either Gaza, which lies to the west of Israel, or Syria, which is to the country's north. Islamic Jihad, which along with allied group Hamas has fought three wars with Israel in Gaza since 2008, operates in both territories. A military aircraft also fired at "Islamic Jihad terror operatives preparing to launch rockets" from the northern Gaza Strip, the army said. "A hit was identified," it added, with health officials in Gaza saying four people were wounded in the strikes. In Syria, the Israeli army said it had struck Islamic Jihad targets outside Damascus, including a base "used as a hub" for the group's activities in the country. An AFP correspondent in Damascus heard several strong explosions shortly before midnight (2200 GMT). The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attacks were "near the Damascus international airport". The Syrian state news agency Sana said "most of the enemy missiles were shot down before reaching their targets", stressing that "no airport" was struck. Posted by: Besoeker 2020-02-24 |
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