Israel bombs Iranian targets over discovery of explosive devices on its border

Israel accuses Iran of placing explosive devices in the area of the Golan Heights, territory controlled by the Israeli authorities. In response to this fact the Israeli army decided to launch an offensive and bomb both Iranian and Syrian military targets.

The Israeli military spokesman stated that eight targets were hit in areas stretching from the Syrian-controlled side of the Golan Heights to the outskirts of Damascus. The fighter planes bombed facilities operated by the Quds Force, the elite overseas unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia.

The attack resulted in the death of at least three Syrian military, though the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the death toll at ten (three military, five members of the Quds Force and two people who may have belonged to Tehran-backed militias).

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) reported on Tuesday that they had found anti-personnel mines and other explosive devices in the Golan Heights. The Israeli authorities have also confirmed that the Quds Force unit of the Revolutionary Guard is behind this incident. 

The Quds Force is responsible for supporting Teheran's allies in the power conflicts throughout the Middle East, coordinating the combatants of the Shiite militias in Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq and elsewhere. The Al-Asad regime has never admitted that Iranian forces operate on its behalf in Syria, only that Teheran has sent military advisors..

In recent years, Israel has regularly attacked Iran-related targets in Syria, but this year it has stepped up attacks in what Western intelligence sources describe as a shadow war to reduce Iran's influence.

Even so, Wednesday's attacks hit a much wider range of targets than usual, and the Israeli army widely reported the details of the operation, suggesting a clear aim to send a public message about Iranian involvement in Syria.

For his part, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Hosein Salami, stressed that the organisation will not limit its actions to a particular geographical area when it comes to defending the country's interests, without expressing an opinion on the accusations made by Israel.

Wednesday's bombings took place a few hours before the arrival in Israel of the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, who was due to address mainly the Iranian issue. 

During his visit the US diplomat demonstrated the ideological connection between the administration of the outgoing president, Donald Trump, and the Israeli executive. Pompeo has become the first high-ranking US official to set foot in a colony in the occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank on an official trip.