After attacks in Israel: situation in the Middle East extremely tense

Tel Aviv (Israel) - Following new rocket attacks from Syria, the Israeli army said it had attacked targets in the hostile neighboring country on Sunday night.

According to the military, a total of six rockets have been fired from Syrian territory into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights since Saturday evening. Some hit open areas and one was intercepted by air defenses.

According to the military, the Israeli air force fired on the Syrian rocket launchers from which the rockets had been fired during the night. The Israeli air force also announced that it had hit a Syrian army military site as well as radar systems and artillery posts used by the army.

Israel's attacks on several locations in the south of the country caused material damage, Syria's state news agency Sana reported. Several missiles from the neighboring country were intercepted.

The Golan Heights are a strategically important rocky plateau, around 60 kilometers long and 25 kilometers wide. The plateau was conquered by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967 and annexed in 1981. However, this was not recognized internationally. According to international law, the areas are considered Syrian territory occupied by Israel.

Former US President Donald Trump (76) formally recognized the Golan Heights as Israeli territory in March 2019, marking a U-turn in US foreign policy.

Israel's air force regularly bombs targets in the neighboring civil war country of Syria. Israel wants to prevent its arch-enemy Iran and allied militias such as Hezbollah from expanding their military influence in Syria.

Alongside Russia, Iran is the most important ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (57) in the civil war.

Only on Thursday there was heavy rocket fire from Lebanon on Israel. Israel blamed the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas for the attacks and responded by attacking militant Palestinian bases in the northern neighbouring country and in the Gaza Strip from the air. Numerous rockets were also fired at Israel from the Palestinian territory on the Mediterranean.

The acting Lebanese Prime Minister, Nadschib Mikati (67), said that an army investigation had revealed that "non-Lebanese elements" had fired the rockets at Israel.

However, Israeli experts assume that the Hezbollah militia controls all operations in the south of the country.

On Friday evening, an Italian tourist was killed and seven other tourists were injured in an attack near the Tel Aviv beach promenade. On Friday morning, two Israeli sisters were killed and their mother critically injured in an attack in the West Bank.

In view of the incidents, Israel stepped up security measures during the Jewish Passover festival.