Palestinian group lay claim to rocket fire in Golan

Video shows footage of mortar attack fired to "avenge martyrs lost in war with the Zionist enemy."

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Golan border Syria truck 370 (photo credit: REUTERS/Baz Ratner)
Golan border Syria truck 370
(photo credit: REUTERS/Baz Ratner)
An unknown Palestinian group, the Abdul Qader al-Husseini brigades, on Thursday claimed responsibility for firing rockets at an Israeli observation point in the Golan Heights to mark Nakba Day.
The group are apparently referring to the two mortar shells which landed in the Mount Hermon area for the first time a day earlier.
"We are avenging all our martyrs that we lost in our war with the Zionist enemy," the brigades said in a statement. The group posted a video online showing what it says is footage of the attack.
The Jerusalem Post is unable to verify the content of the footage.
The claim follows Arabic media reports that Syrian authorities are considering allowing Palestinian armed groups to launch attacks against Israel across the Golan Heights border.
Two Syrian mortars slammed into Mount Hermon on Wednesday morning, marking the first time that the area has been hit since the start of the Syrian civil war two years ago.
Following the incident, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz held consultations with senior defense officials.
The IDF’s policy on Syria continues to be to try and contain the incidents stemming from across the northern border.
The shells exploded in open areas, failing to cause damages or injuries. The IDF is still seeking to determine whether the shells were fired deliberately, or were part of a battle between rebels and the Syrian army.
“We still don’t know with certainty either way,” a senior security source told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.
“We can’t say for sure that it was erroneous firing, but neither can we be sure that it was deliberate. This area has not been hit before. We are checking it,” the source added.
The IDF is hoping to have more information in the coming days.
Yaakov Lappin contributed to this report.