WND EXCLUSIVE

OFFICIALS: IRAN 'TESTING' NETANYAHU'S RESOLVE WITH ROCKET RAID

'Anyone who tries to harm us, we will harm them'

Aaron Klein

TEL AVIV – The Israeli defense establishment believes Iran was testing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s resolve when the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad terrorist organization fired four rockets into the Israeli north in a major escalation last week.

In information corroborated with defense officials here, the Times of Israel last week quoted a senior Israeli security official saying Saeed Izadi, head of the Palestinian Division of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s al-Quds Force, planned last Thursday’s rocket attack.

The actual rockets were fired by the Iranian-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Israel officials said.

Two of the projectiles hit open areas on the Golan Heights while two others landed further inside Israel, striking open areas in the Upper Galilee region. All four rockets were fired from the Syrian sections of the Golan Heights, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

In one of the heaviest Israeli bombardments against the Syrian regime in years, the IDF returned artillery fire at 14 Syrian military targets in Syria following the rocket attack. On Friday, the Israel Air Force further struck an Islamic Jihad convoy on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights.

Even though the latest round of fighting was started by the Islamic Jihad and Iran’s Guard force, Hezbollah on Sunday increased its alert level to the highest, Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai reported Saturday, “for fear of attempts by Israel to drag Lebanon and Syria into an escalation of a state less than war but more than an operation.”

Hezbollah members were quoted by the newspaper claiming Netanyahu’s government believes that after the signing of the Iran nuclear deal, Israel’s “situation is critical and will soon be tested” with an Israeli escalation.

However, Israeli defense officials told WND it is Iran that is doing the testing, estimating the Iran-approved rocket firings were meant to see if Netanyahu’s government would mount offensive measures following the signing of the international nuclear deal.

The officials said the rocket launchings demonstrate Iran is particularly emboldened since it is willing to orchestrate a daring attack on Israel’s northern border just weeks after the nuclear deal was finalized.

“I said it just this week – anyone who tries to harm us, we will harm them. And so we did,” Netanyahu stated after the rocket attacks. “The IDF killed the forces responsible for the rocket attacks and the Syrians who allowed it to happen. We have no intention to escalate the situation but our policy remains the same.”

“To those states that are rushing to embrace Iran, you should know that an Iranian commander supported and gave guidance to the group that fired on Israel,” added Netanyahu.

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2015/08/officials-iran-testing-netanyahus-resolve-with-rocket-raid/#We6MM6eBTJoZQJX6.99