Hamas on heightened alert following Syria confrontation
“The Izzadin Kassam Brigades declares that the level of alert in its ranks has risen."
By ADAM RASGONUpdated: FEBRUARY 11, 2018 05:48Hamas members(photo credit: REUTERS)
Hamas’s armed wing, the Izzadin Kassam Brigades, raised its level of alert on Saturday following a confrontation between Israel and Iranian-backed forces in Syria, a spokesman for the jihadist group said.On Saturday morning, the IDF intercepted an Iranian drone over the northern town of Beit She’an, the military said.Israeli jets then struck an Iranian installation in Syria which the IDF said operated the unmanned aircraft.“The Izzadin Kassam Brigades declares that the level of alert in its ranks has risen to protect our people and respond to any Zionist aggression in light of the events that are taking place in occupied northern Palestine,” Abu Obeida, the group’s spokesman, said in a tweet.In the past 10 years, Israel and the Kassam Brigades have fought against each other in three wars.On several recent occasions, both Hamas and Israeli leaders have said they do not want a new war.However, last week a senior officer in the IDF Southern Command warned that “an escalation [in the Gaza area] can occur at any moment.”
