Israeli army says it intercepted 2 drones after Iraqi militia group claimed attack on Golan Heights

By Said Amori

JERUSALEM (AA) - The Israeli military reported Thursday it intercepted two drones approaching from the east, after a claim by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq that it attacked a “vital target” in the occupied Golan Heights.

“The Air Force intercepted two drones that came from the east and were heading towards Israeli airspace,” the Israeli army said in a statement. “The drones did not enter Israeli airspace, no sirens were activated, and no injuries were reported.”

The army did not specify the source of the drones, but the announcement came shortly after the Iraqi group claimed responsibility for a drone strike on the Golan Heights.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a network of Iranian-backed Iraqi militia groups, said it targeted the occupied Golan Heights with drones.

The Israeli army announced last Friday that two of its soldiers were killed and 24 injured in a drone attack launched from Iraq toward northern Israel, marking the first instance of casualties from an Iraqi-based attack since Oct. 7, 2023.

Israel has continued a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

More than 42,000 victims have since been killed, mostly women and children, and nearly 97,900 injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the Gaza Strip amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.​​​​​​​

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio