Israel launches airstrikes on Iran-linked sites in Syria after border explosives find
18 November 2020
The Israeli Air Force conducted air strikes Tuesday night on Syrian army and Iranian Quds Force targets near Damascus — hours after several improvised explosive devices were discovered on the Israeli side of the border in the Golan Heights.
Why it matters: Tuesday marked the second time in three months that explosive devices were discovered on the Israeli side of the border. Israel claims Iran's Quds Force is using pro-Iranian militias and local Syrian operatives to open a front with Israel in the Golan and engage in attacks on Israeli forces.
Driving the news: An Israeli Defense Force spokesperson said Israel's air force jets attacked the headquarters of the 7th division of the Syrian army near the Golan Heights, from where he said the Iranian forces operate.
- Other targets were a military base near Damascus international airport that is operated by Iranian forces and another military site near Damascus where Iranian officers live, he added.
- The Israeli Air Force also attacked Syrian army surface to air missile batteries.
- The state-run Syrian news agency said three Syrian soldiers were killed in the airstrikes and one was wounded.
What's next: Israeli officials expect the Iranian to continue try conducting attacks near the border using their local proxies.
- Israeli officials said they see the Syrian government responsible for the attacks against Israel from its territory.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.