Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

JERUSALEM — The Israeli army stated Saturday that three rockets have been launched from Syria towards Israeli territory, a uncommon assault from the nation’s northeastern neighbor that comes after days of escalating violence on a number of fronts.

There was no rapid declare of duty for the rocket launches, which brought about no harm or casualties. Just one rocket managed to cross into Israeli territory and landed in a discipline within the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, the Israeli army stated. Fragments of one other destroyed missile fell into Jordanian territory close to the Syrian border, Jordan’s army reported.

In Syria, an adviser to President Bashar Assad described the rocket strikes as “a part of the earlier, current and persevering with response to the brutal enemy.”

Within the occupied West Financial institution, Israeli safety forces fatally shot a 20-year-old Palestinian within the city of Azzun, Palestinian well being officers stated, stirring protests within the space. The Israeli army stated troops fired at Palestinians hurling stones and explosive units. The Palestinian Well being Ministry recognized the Palestinian killed as Ayed Salim.

His demise got here at a time of unusually heightened violence within the West Financial institution. Over 90 Palestinians and have been killed by Israeli hearth thus far this yr, at the least half of them affiliated with militant teams, based on a tally by The Related Press.

Palestinian assaults on Israelis have killed 19 folks in that point — together with on Friday two British-Israelis shot to demise close to a settlement within the Jordan Valley and an Italian vacationer killed by a suspected car-ramming in Tel Aviv. All however one have been civilians.

The rocket hearth from Syria comes towards the backdrop of hovering Israeli-Palestinian tensions touched off by an Israeli police raid on Jerusalem’s most delicate web site, the sacred compound residence to the Al-Aqsa mosque. That outraged Palestinians marking the holy fasting month of Ramadan and prompted militants in Lebanon — in addition to Palestinian militants within the Gaza Strip — to fireplace a heavy barrage of rockets into Israel.

In retaliation, Israeli warplanes struck websites allegedly linked to the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza and southern Lebanon.

Late Saturday, tensions ran excessive in Jerusalem as a couple of hundred Palestinian worshippers barricaded themselves within the mosque, which sits on a hilltop within the coronary heart of Jerusalem’s Outdated Metropolis sacred to each Muslims and Jews. Israeli police efforts to evict the worshippers locked within the mosque in a single day with stockpiled firecrackers and stones spiraled into unrest within the holy web site earlier this week.

The most recent escalations prompted Israeli Protection Minister Yoav Gallant to increase a closure barring entrance to Israel for Palestinians from the occupied West Financial institution and Gaza Strip at some point of the Jewish vacation of Passover, whereas police beefed up forces in Jerusalem on the eve of delicate spiritual celebrations.

In a separate incident within the northern West Financial institution metropolis of Nablus late Saturday, a frontrunner of an area unbiased armed group referred to as the Lion’s Den claimed the group executed an alleged Israeli collaborator who had tipped off the Israeli army to the areas and actions of the group’s members. Israeli safety forces have focused and killed a number of of the group’s key members in current months.

The accused man’s killing couldn’t be instantly confirmed, however movies in Palestinian media confirmed medics and residents gathered round his bloodied physique within the Outdated Metropolis, the place the Lion’s Den holds sway. “Traitors have neither a rustic nor a folks,” Lion’s Den commander Oday Azizi stated in a press release.

The strikes come at a time of heightened spiritual fervor – with Ramadan coinciding with Passover and Easter celebrations. Jerusalem’s Outdated Metropolis, residence to key Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy websites, has been teeming with guests and non secular pilgrims from around the globe.

Gallant stated {that a} closure imposed final Wednesday, on the eve of Passover, would stay in impact till the vacation ends on Wednesday night time. The order prevents Palestinians from coming into Israel for work or to hope in Jerusalem this week, although mass prayers have been permitted on the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday. Gallant additionally ordered the Israeli army to be ready to help Israeli police. The military later introduced that it was deploying further troops round Jerusalem and within the West Financial institution.

Over 2,000 police have been anticipated to be deployed in Jerusalem on Sunday – when tens of 1000’s of Jews are anticipated to collect on the Western Wall for the particular Passover priestly blessing. The Western Wall is the holiest web site the place Jews can pray and sits subsequent to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the place massive crowds collect every day for prayers throughout Ramadan.

Jerusalem police chief Doron Turgeman met together with his commanders on Saturday for a safety evaluation. He accused the Hamas militant group, which guidelines the Gaza Strip, of making an attempt to incite violence forward of Sunday’s priestly blessing with false claims that Jews deliberate to storm the mosque.

“We are going to permit the liberty of worship and we’ll permit the arrival of Muslims to hope,” he stated, including that police “will act with willpower and sensitivity” to make sure that all faiths can have a good time safely.

The present spherical of violence erupted earlier within the week after Israeli police raided the mosque, firing tear fuel and stun grenades to disperse lots of of Palestinians who had barricaded themselves inside. Violent scenes from the raid sparked unrest within the contested capital and outrage throughout the Arab world.

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