Israel counters Syria killing of teen with attack on military targets
The Israeli military confirmed Monday that the country executed air strikes against military targets in Syria in response to a cross-border attack that left an Israeli teenager dead.
In the June 23 statement, Israeli authorities state that nine targets were struck and “direct hits were confirmed.”
“Yesterday’s attack was an unprovoked act of aggression against Israel, and a direct continuation to recent attacks that occurred in the area,” said Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a military spokesman. He said Israel “will not tolerate any attempt to breach Israel’s sovereignty and will act in order to safeguard the civilians of the state of Israel.”
The killing of the youth, Mohammed Karaka, in an attack on an Israeli defense contractor’s vehicle was the first fatality on the Israeli side of the Syrian border since Syria’s civil war started more than three years ago.
An Israeli military spokesman, Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, called it “an unprovoked act of aggression against Israel, and a direct continuation to recent attacks that occurred in the area.”
This is not a case of errant fire but of an intentional attack,” Lerner said. He said that an antitank missile was fired
Karaka, who the authorities said was 14 (some agencies claim he was 13) was spending the first day of summer vacation at work with his father, who was driving an Israeli water tanker near Tel Hazeka along the disputed border and was one of those hurt in the blast.
Colonel Lerner said that he did not know whether an explosive device, rocket, mortar round or tank fire was used, but that “it was fired directly from east to west,” and that Israeli soldiers later found a hole in the fence that demarcates the cease-fire line.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel spoke to the youth’s father, Fahmi Karaka, according to a statement from his office. “The enemies of the state of Israel are not ashamed to use any means, they are not ashamed to attack civilians and to kill children, as they have this morning,” Mr. Netanyahu said in the statement. “They do not distinguish between the Jewish citizens and the non-Jewish citizens.”
The father, who was hospitalized, told the Israeli news site Ynet that Mohammed had wanted to be a doctor. “He was very happy when I agreed to take him with me today, and now this joy has turned into a tragedy,” Mr. Karaka said. “I don’t want to go back to work,” he added. “I can only hope that something like this will never happen to any family, because no one can deal with this type of death.”