Israel: Iranian Force in Syria Behind Rocket Attack on South

HAARETZ




IDF says that Islamic Jihad is behind attacks Friday night, under orders from Iran. Adds that it holds Hamas responsible for the Gaza Strip and has therefore targeted only Hamas targets

Amos Harel and Yaniv Kubovich Oct 27, 2018 12:22 PM

The Islamic Jihad is responsible for firing rockets into Gaza Friday night, Israel's security services said Saturday.

Friday night's events, in which 36 rockets were launched at Israel from Gaza, "were led by the Islamic Jihad with clear guidance from Iran and the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds force in Syria," the IDF spokesman said Saturday. "The entire incident was under Iran's guidance through the Quds force that led the attacks," the IDF said.

>> For latest updates on Gaza, click here ■ Israel strikes 80 Hamas targets in Gaza Friday, 30 rockets launched at south

The IDF struck 87 Hamas targets Friday and an additional eight Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza on Saturday. On Saturday, the Islamic Jihad announced it had reached a cease-fire with Israel, brokered by Egypt.

According to the security services, the motives behind the rockets launch are still unclear: The organization could be following an Iranian order, given reports for progress on reaching an agreement in Gaza. Another option is that Islamic Jihad is not satisfied with the achievements Hamas reached with Israel, and is pushing Palestinians to step up their efforts in order to gain more ground.