Drone Crashed in Golan Heights, an area annexed by Israel
JERUSALEM: An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashed near a village situated in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights, as confirmed by Israel’s army on Thursday. This incident occurred following a claim of responsibility by an Iraqi armed group with affiliations to Hamas militants for an attack in the same region.
According to Israeli media reports, the UAV, believed to be carrying explosives, was launched from Syria and was successfully intercepted late Wednesday evening south of the settlement of Eliad. Fortunately, the interception caused no injuries, although there was some reported material damage.
The Israeli army, when approached by AFP, stated that the drone had crashed near Eliad but refrained from providing additional details.
In a statement, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loosely organized coalition of pro-Iran armed groups, asserted that it targeted a “vital target” south of Eliad using “appropriate weaponry.”
Israel has consistently pledged to continue its efforts to dismantle Hamas in response to the devastating attack on October 7, resulting in approximately 1,140 casualties, predominantly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
The ongoing conflict in Gaza, marked by Israeli airstrikes and a ground invasion, has led to a death toll of at least 21,110 people, with the majority being women and children, according to the latest figures from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Throughout the Gaza conflict, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks against both US and international coalition forces in Iraq and Syria. A US military official reported 103 attacks against its forces in Iraq and Syria since October 17, with most of these claimed by factions of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq opposing US support for Israel in its conflict against Hamas.
It is noteworthy that the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has, until now, asserted responsibility for relatively few direct attacks against Israeli interests. Israel gained control of part of the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and subsequently annexed the territory in 1981—an action not acknowledged by the United Nations.
