Screen grab from one of the videos released by the IRI.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), an umbrella group of Iranian-backed armed factions, announced on March 5 that it has begun a “second phase” of operations against Israel in support of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.
On the same day, the group said that targeted a power plant in the northern Israeli city fo Haifa with a suicide drone. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced at the time that one of its fighter jets shot down a “suspicious aerial target,” believed to be a drone, that entered Israeli airspace from Syria.
On March 6, the IRI announced that it had attacked Kiryat Shemona Airport, also located in northern Israel, with a suicide drone. Hebrew media didn’t report any incident on that day.
And on March 7, the group said that it had launched another suicide drone at a position of the IDF in the Rosh Pinna Airport in northern Israel.
The drone was however shot down by Syrian air defenses over the southern governorate of al-Qunitra by mistake. Photos showing the wreckage of the drone were released by the Syrian Ministry of Defense.
-
- Click to see full-size image.
-
- Click to see full-size image.
-
- Click to see full-size image.
-
- Click to see full-size image.
On March 8, the IRI launched two drone attacks, one targeted an intelligence base of the IDF in the northern part of the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and the other targeted an oil refinery in Haifa. Again, there were no reports of any incidents in Hebrew media.
All the attacks were carried out using a small suicide drone that is thought to be made in Iran and is commonly known as Shahed-101.
The IRI began launching attacks against Israel as well as against U.S. forces in Iraq and neighboring Syria on October 17 in response to the war on Gaza and Washington’s unwavering support for it. The group mainly used suicide drones, unguided rockets as well as ballistic and cruise missiles.
Early in February, the group suspended attacks against U.S. forces after the death of three American troops in a drone strike on a base in Jordan, reportedly upon a request from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. However, it continued to launch attacks against Israel from time to time.
The IRI’s latest decision to escalate attacks against Israel shows that the group is still determined to respond to the war on Gaza, which has so far claimed the lives of more than 30,000 Palestinians. The group’s latest attacks will likely increase pressure on both Israel and the U.S.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC:
