Israel- Syria Conflict

Subject: International Relations

Section: Places in news

Concept :

Israel shelled parts of Syria, claiming it was in response to rockets being fired at Golan Heights from the neighboring country.

Details

al-Quds Brigade — a Damascus-based Palestinian militant group loyal to the Syrian regime — claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks, saying they were launched in retaliation for the recent raids at the al-Aqsa mosque by the Israeli police.

Why is the conflict boiling over recently?

With an ultra-nationalist government coming to power in Israel, the region has been simmering for months.
Israeli police raided Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque, considered the third holiest site in Islam.
This served as the immediate trigger for a wave of rocket attacks, including from Lebanon, the Gaza Strip, and Syria.
In Syria, Israel’s actions come out of the fear that arch-rival Iran is using the long-running war in the country to station its fighters and weapons close to Israel’s borders.
Israel is also locked in a conflict with the Hezbollah, which holds sway in another neighbour, Lebanon.

al-Aqsa Mosque & Associated Conflict

The al-Aqsa Mosque is one of Jerusalem’s most recognized monuments.
The site is part of the Old City of Jerusalem, sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), has classified the Old City of Jerusalem and its walls as a World Heritage Site.
The mosque’s complex is the reason for the conflict between Israel & Palestine (Islam & Judaism).
Al-Aqsa Mosque is one of Islam’s most revered locations, and the Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism.
The Temple Mount is a walled compound inside the Old City in Jerusalem, and is the site of two structures:
The Dome of the Rock to the north and the Al-Aqsa Mosque to the south.
To the southwest of the Temple Mount, is the Western Wall, a remnant of the Second Temple and the holiest site in Judaism.