Rockets launched from Syria amid Palestinian solidarity riots on borders

Three rockets were launched from Syria towards Israel on Friday evening amid a number of solidarity riots with the Palestinians amid ongoing escalations between Israel and Hamas, as well as the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.One of the rockets failed to launch, falling on the Syrian side of the border. The other two rockets fell in an open space, leading to only open air sirens to be sounded. No injuries were recorded.The Palestinian Tahir Brigade stationed in Syria claimed responsibility for the rockets shortly after firing them.The incident took place as violence continued to escalate during solidarity riots held on Israel’s border with Lebanon, Jordan, in Arab Israeli towns and in the West Bank.Multiple protestors approached the Lebanese border near the Israeli town of Metulla twice on Friday, once in the early afternoon, and again in the evening.In the beginning, three suspects cut an entry point in the border fence and crossed into Israel. They were then joined by an additional four suspects, and started a fire in Israeli territory. A fire also broke out on Lebanese territory.During the incident, one of the suspects, identified as Muhammed Tahan, was shot in the leg by IDF troops before returning to Lebanon with the rest of the suspects and later died of his wounds.

Residents of Metulla were ordered to stay indoors for fear of infiltration by the Lebanese forces as IDF forces remain deployed along the border to ensure that there are no further incidents.The protestors had Palestinian, Lebanese, and Hezbollah flags with them when they approached the fence.

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Following the incident, Lebanese President Michel Aoun ordered the country’s foreign minister to notify the UN of what had occurred, at the same time as Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri called for the international community to condemn the killing of the Lebanese protestor.Sariri said that the event had violated the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.Earlier in the day protestors in Jordan managed to bypass police and began approaching the border shared with Israel.

In addition, A 20-year-old is in serious condition after being shot in the chest during clashes in the Arab Israeli town of Kfar Kanna, located just north of Nazareth. Another 20-year-old is in serious condition after being shot in the thigh.Meanwhile, beyond the border, an estimated 500 protestors broke away towards the Israeli border from a larger protest of 2,000 people which was taking place in Jordan’s Karameh, northeast of Jericho.They began approaching the Allenby Bridge, known in Jordan as the King Hussein Bridge, and were forcibly dispersed by Jordanian riot police.This event was the latest in a string of Jordanian protests against Israel this week, where they called for the removal of the Israeli ambassador, and the cancellation of the 1994 peace treaty. The phrase “let’s go to the border” has been trending in Arabic on Twitter since Thursday, apparently in an attempt to mobilize more Jordanians to attempt to approach the Allenby crossing.Pro-Palestinian demonstration in Istanbul, May 14th, 2021. (Credit: REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya)Other countries in the region have also seen pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protests throughout the week, as citizens voice their anger over the ongoing military operation at the Gaza border.Dozens of people demonstrated in Istanbul, Turkey on Friday morning following the morning prayers. Many waved Palestinian flags and held signs proclaiming Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.In Kosovo, Albanian protestors held a march in support of Palestine, calling for an end to the violence in Gaza. Reuters contributed to this report.Source