Operation House of Cards

May 2018 Israel–Iran clashes
Part of Israeli–Syrian border incidents and the Iran–Israel conflict during the Syrian civil war
Date10 May 2018
Location
Golan Heights
Belligerents
  •  Iran
  •  Syria
  Israel
Units involved
Quds Force Israeli Air Force
Strength
Unknown 28 aircraft
Casualties and losses
27 killed (SOHR claim)[1]
4 killed (Syrian claim)[2]
4 SAM systems (Israeli claim)[3][4]		 None

The May 2018 Israel–Iran clashes were a series of short military confrontations between Israeli and Iranian forces in Syria.[5] On 10 May 2018 the Israeli military stated that Iranian forces in Syria launched 20 rockets against Israeli army positions on Western Golan Heights.[6][7] The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the attack occurred after Baath, a town in the demilitarised zone, was bombarded by Israeli forces.[8] According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) some missiles were intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome system, while some fell short in Syrian territory.[9]

Following this, Israel launched an extensive strike in Syria against Iranian targets, called Operation House of Cards (Hebrew: מִבְצָע בֵּית הַקְלָפִים; mivtza beit haKlafim ) targeting Iranian military bases in Syria.[10] Syria state media called the attacks an act of Israeli aggression on Syrian territories. Iran denied Israeli claims, stating it had neither fired rockets against Israel nor had any military bases in Syria.[11] During the operation, the Israel Air Force destroyed a number of Syrian air defense batteries, including a Pantsir-S1 system, a S-75 Dvina system, a S-200 missile system radar, and a Buk missile system.[4]

The clash came during rising tensions between Israeli and Iranian forces in Syria, including threats by the leader of Iran's Quds Force in Syria, Qasem Soleimani, to attack Israel.[12] The incidents also came just a day after the US announced it was withdrawing from the Iranian nuclear deal.[13]

  1. ^ "Eleven Iranians killed in Israeli strikes in Syria, says monitor". 12 May 2018. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  2. ^ "Israeli attack in Syria allegedly killed 11 Iranian soldiers: monitor". 12 May 2018. Archived from the original on 13 May 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  3. ^ "The IDF struck an SA22 aerial interception system as part of a wide-scale attack against Iranian military sites in Syria". 10 May 2018. Archived from the original on 11 May 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  4. ^ a b "We hit most Iranian infrastructure" Archived 14 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine Dana Weiss, Channel 2, 10/05/18
  5. ^ Kershner, Isabel; Halbfinger, David M. (10 May 2018). "Israeli Jets Hit Dozens of Iranian Targets in Syria". New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 May 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  6. ^ Morris, Loveday (10 May 2018). "Iranian forces fire rockets at Israeli military in first direct attack ever, Israel's army says". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 10 May 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  7. ^ Ahronheim, Anna (10 May 2018). "PROJECTILES FIRED TOWARDS ISRAELI FORWARD DEFENSIVE LINE IN THE GOLAN". Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 10 May 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  8. ^ McKernan, Bethan (10 May 2018). "Israel and Iran on brink of war after unprecedented Syria bombardment in response to alleged Golan Heights attack". The Independent. Archived from the original on 30 June 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  9. ^ Gross, Judah Ari (10 May 2018). "IDF: Iranian forces fire 20 rockets at Israel; Iron Dome intercepts some". Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 11 May 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  10. ^ Gross, Judah Ari (10 May 2018). "'Operation House of Cards,' the IAF mission to cripple Iran's presence in Syria". Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 10 May 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Denial was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Head of Iran's secret operations overseas threatens to 'erase Zionist entity'". Times of Israel. 15 February 2018. Archived from the original on 11 May 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  13. ^ Lieber, Dov; Nissenbaum, Dion (10 May 2018). "Israel Strikes Iranian Targets in Syria as Regional Tensions Mount". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 10 May 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2018.