Israeli jets bombed southern Syria overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday in retaliation for two rockets fired from Syrian territory toward the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Israeli military said the rockets, which fell in uninhabited areas, triggered sirens but caused no casualties or damage.

In a statement, the Israeli military confirmed that it had targeted “weaponry belonging to the Syrian regime,” holding Damascus “responsible for all incidents on its territory.” Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that “President Ahmed al-Sharaa is directly accountable for any threat or attack against the State of Israel.” Israeli artillery also struck the Yarmouk Basin in western Deraa before the aerial assaults.

Damascus Denies Responsibility, Calls for De-escalation

The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the strikes, calling them a “flagrant violation of Syrian sovereignty.” Damascus claimed it could not confirm whether rockets had been launched and stated, “Numerous parties seek to destabilize the region for their own interests.” A press statement reiterated, “Syria has never been, and will never be, a threat to anyone in the region,” emphasizing the government’s current priority of restoring state authority in southern Syria and eliminating unauthorized arms outside official structures.

‘Mohammed al-Deif Brigades’ Claim Responsibility

In a development raising regional concern, a newly emerged group calling itself the “Mohammed al-Deif Brigades” claimed responsibility for the rocket fire. A spokesperson told Al Jazeera the attacks were a response to “Israel’s aggression on the oppressed in Gaza.” This is the first such operation from Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024 and the rise of a new Islamist coalition government in Damascus led by President Ahmed al-Chareh, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Joulani.

A Fragile and Shifting Landscape

Since Assad’s overthrow, Israel has intensified strikes on Syrian territory, especially targeting arms depots and suspected logistical networks linked to Damascus’s new leadership. Israel claims its operations are defensive, meant to prevent weapons from reaching actors it deems jihadist. Meanwhile, the U.S. has lifted key sanctions on Syria and is urging the new government to engage in indirect talks with Israel, though normalization remains distant.

Israeli forces have conducted hundreds of strikes inside Syria since the civil war began in 2011. Despite a technical state of war since 1948, the recent escalations signal how the post-Assad power shift is reshaping the region’s volatile dynamics.