Israel
IDF downs missiles from Iraq heading to Golan Heights
The projectiles were intercepted with no injuries or damage reported
September 22, 2024 09:06
By, Jewish News Syndicate
2 min read
The projectiles were intercepted with no injuries or damage reported
September 22, 2024 09:06ByJC Reporter, Jewish News Syndicate
The Israel Defense Forces intercepted projectiles in three separate attacks originating from Iraq, with two early Sunday claimed to have been fired by Iranian-backed militias followed by a third attack later in the morning.
A suspected drone that entered Israeli airspace from the east was intercepted by the IDF's aerial defense array over the southern Golan Heights in the morning. Sirens sounded in several towns due to fears of falling shrapnel, according to the army.
In the predawn hours, two cruise missiles were fired from Iraq at the southern Golan Heights, Kan News reported.
According to the IDF, "multiple suspicious aerial targets approached Israel from the direction of Iraq" which were shot down before they crossed into Israeli territory.
A little over two hours later, a drone "approaching Israeli territory from the east" that triggered sirens in the Arava area was intercepted before crossing into the country, the IDF said.
Al-Hadath, a Saudi news channel, reported that Israel intercepted a ballistic missile fired at Eilat from Iraq.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for the missile and drone attacks.
"We launched advanced Arkab cruise missiles early this morning towards targets in northern Israel," Kan quoted the pro-Iranian militias as saying.
According to AFP, the group said on its Telegram channel that “the fighters of the Islamic Resistance of Iraq targeted on Sunday morning a strategic location in the occupied territories using drones,” referring to Israel, adding it was carried out “in support of our people in Gaza.”
There were no injuries or damage reported in the three attacks, according to the Israeli military.
Israeli Air Force fighter jets last week shot down a drone from Iraq that was approaching the Sea of Galilee.
During its nearly year-long war against Hamas in Gaza, Israel has faced attacks from several fronts, including at times from the eastern border. An example of the latter was a drone intercepted by Israel’s aerial defense array on the night of Sept. 3.
The drone did not cross into Israeli territory and no injuries were reported, according to the military. It was shot down over Jordan.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that it had launched drones at the Port of Haifa.
A naval base building in the southern Israeli city of Eilat was lightly damaged by a drone attack earlier this year.
The UAV was launched from Iraq and entered Israeli territory from Jordan.
In June, the U.S. State Department designated the group Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya, and Haydar Muzhir Ma’lak al-Sa’idi, 46, the Iraq-based militia’s secretary general, as “specially designated global terrorists."
Aligned with Iran, the entity is “part of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq—a front group that includes multiple Iran-aligned terrorist and militia groups, including U.S.-designated terrorist organizations Kata’ib Hizballah, Harakat al-Nujaba and Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, that have repeatedly attacked global coalition to defeat ISIS forces in Iraq and Syria,” per Foggy Bottom.
Islamic Resistance in Iraq “has claimed responsibility for dozens of recent attacks against U.S. military personnel in Iraq and Syria, including the January drone attack that killed three U.S. service members at Tower 22 in Jordan,” the State Department said.
The newly designated Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya was also involved in that January attack, according to the department, and the group “has publicly threatened to continue attacking U.S. interests in the region.”