Israeli army launches strikes in Syria after rocket fire claimed by Quds Brigade group

Israel launched artillery strikes on Syria Sunday morning after several rockets were fired from there and landed in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

The Beirut-based Al Mayadeen TV said early on Sunday that the Palestinian Quds Brigade Group claimed responsibility for the rocket fire.

"In response to the rockets fired from Syria at Israel earlier today, IDF Artillery is currently striking in Syrian territory," the Israeli military tweeted.

A drone was also "currently striking the launchers in Syria from which rockets were launched into Israeli territory".

Syrian state news agency SANA said the Israeli strikes took place around 5:00 am (0200 GMT).

Citing an unnamed military source, SANA said Syria's military had "intercepted the rockets... and brought down some of them".

Jordan's army announced that a rocket exploded Saturday evening and its debris fell in Jordanian territory near the border with Syria without causing casualties or damage.

"At 10:25 pm (1925 GMT) on Saturday evening, a rocket exploded in the air in the Wadi Aqraba area adjacent to the Syrian border, leading to its debris falling in the same area," a Jordanian army statement said.

It added that the debris "did not cause any casualties or damage", noting that a team from the Royal Engineering Corps was inspecting the site of the incident.

The 1,200 square kilometre (460 square mile) Golan Heights region in southwestern Syria has been occupied by Israel yria in the 1967 Six-Day War. Israel later annexed it in a move that was never recognised by the international community.

Israel has stepped up attacks on Palestinians amid the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, which this year coincides with Jewish Passover and Christian Easter, leading to an escalation in violence in the region.

On Wednesday, Israeli police stormed the prayer hall of Al-Aqsa mosque, Islam's third-holiest site, detaining and injuring hundreds of worshippers.

The next day, more than 30 rockets were fired from Lebanese soil into Israel, which the Israeli army blamed on Palestinian groups, saying it was most likely Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.

Israel then bombarded Gaza and southern Lebanon, targeting "terror infrastructures" that it said belonged to Hamas.

It was the biggest salvo fired from Lebanon since Israel fought a devastating 34-day war with Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in 2006 and the first time Israel has confirmed an attack on Lebanese territory since April 2022.

Israel and Lebanon are technically in a state of war, and the ceasefire line is patrolled by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), deployed in the country's south.

On the Syrian side, Israel has recently intensified its raids targeting positions of pro-Iranian groups.