Israel launches attacks in Syria; 3 killed

JERUSALEM

Israeli warplanes struck Syrian military targets after rocket fire from Syria, according to the military early Sunday.

In a statement, the army attacked Syrian artillery and aerial defense batteries after two rockets were fired from Syria at Israel-occupied Golan Heights.

“We hold the Syrian regime accountable and will firmly operate against any attempt to harm Israeli civilians,” the army said.

Syria’s official SANA news agency said three soldiers had been killed and seven others injured in the Israeli attacks, which targeted some sites in southwestern Damascus and Quneitra.

SANA, citing a military source, said Syrian air defenses intercepted several missiles fired by Israel from Golan Heights.

Israel occupies roughly two-thirds of the wider Golan Heights as a de facto result of the 1967 Middle East war. It moved to formally annex the territory in 1981 -- an action unanimously rejected at the time by the UN Security Council.