
On June 3, at approximately 10 pm Israeli time, two rockets were launched from Syrian territory and landed in the Golan Heights—the first such attack from Syria toward Israel since the fall of the Bashar al Assad regime in December 2024.
Two groups claimed responsibility. The first, the Martyr Mohammad Deif Brigades, was reportedly founded on May 30, 2025, according to its Telegram channel. The group is named after the slain Hamas military chief, Mohammad Deif, who was killed in July 2024. The second group was the Islamic Resistance Front in Syria—Awli al Bas, a militant faction that claims affiliation with Iran’s so-called Axis of Resistance. This group has claimed multiple attacks against Israeli forces operating inside Syrian territory since December 2024.
The Martyr Mohammad Deif Brigades announced on Telegram that it had targeted Israeli forces in the “occupied Golan” with two Grad rockets, fired precisely at 9:20 pm on Tuesday, June 3. In a follow-up statement to Al Jazeera, the group claimed its actions were a response to the war in Gaza and vowed to continue operations until the conflict ends.
The group’s logo features a silhouette of Mohammad Deif, with a map of “historic Palestine” on the left, an AK-47 on the right, and text that reads “Martyr Mohammad Deif Brigades,” “Occupied Palestine” and the Quranic verse “Assault them through the gate, for when you are in, victory will be yours.” The background is green, resembling Hamas’s color scheme.
Hamas quickly denied any connection to the Martyr Mohammad Deif Brigades. “We have no knowledge of their background or who is behind them,” the group stated, according to Al Arabiya. The Martyr Mohammad Deif Brigades later clarified that the group is a Palestinian resistance movement that is unaffiliated with any established faction and committed to a revolutionary path.
The Islamic Resistance Front in Syria—Awli al Bas also claimed responsibility for the attack on Israel. Its logo mimics the emblem of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)—a raised arm holding an AK-47—indicating alignment with Iran-linked “resistance” groups.
While most of the Islamic Resistance Front in Syria’s messaging has centered on reconnaissance missions targeting Israeli troops in southern Syria, the group has issued claims of direct attacks.
On January 21, it alleged that one of its battalions downed an Israeli drone near Al Telal al Homr in the Quneitra countryside, though the claim remains unverified. On January 31, the group claimed an attack on Israeli forces in Tarnaja, also in Quneitra, using unspecified “appropriate weapons.” The IDF later acknowledged that “shots were heard and identified in the area where IDF troops are operating in Syrian territory.”
The Islamic Resistance Front in Syria—Awli al Bas identifies itself as part of the Iranian-led Axis of Resistance and claims religious legitimacy through what it calls the battle of “the promise of the Hereafter,” a reference to a Quranic verse interpreted by some as a prophecy about the final battle to liberate Palestine.
After US President Donald Trump announced sanctions relief for Syria, the group issued a statement condemning the development as a betrayal. It described the decision as part of a normalization deal between Syria and Israel under the Abraham Accords, which the group claims undermines the rights of the Syrian people. The statement concluded with a pledge that Awli al Bas will “remain steadfast, refusing to relinquish a drop of Syrian soil, and will not bow to the threats of occupiers or incentives from collaborators.” The group’s stated goal is “the full liberation of the Golan Heights and all other occupied Arab lands.”
A Syrian official told Reuters that the attackers include “remnants of Assad-era militias linked to Iran” who have long operated in the Quneitra area and “have a vested interest in provoking Israeli retaliation as a means of escalating tensions and undermining current stabilization efforts.”
An Israeli official told Al Arabiya that “the current Syrian administration has nothing to do with the rocket launches from southern Syria.” He added that Iran, Hezbollah, and Assad loyalists are actively trying to destabilize Syria and that Israel is coordinating with the new Syrian security forces regarding their deployment near the buffer zone in southern Syria.