Israel’s Syrian border continues to heat up. At 1:30 AM Tuesday, shots were opened on an IDF patrol in the Golan Heights, and the force returned fire.
An examination turned out that some bullets hit the patrol vehicle, but no one was injured. A military source said it is still unclear whether this was the result of fire “leaking” over from the clashes between President Bashar Assad’s army and rebels, or deliberate fire.
The IDF force responded by firing a missile at the position from which the shooting took place, and a precise hit at the target was identified.
This is the third such incident since last Saturday night, with someone on the Syrian side opening fire at IDF troops. On Saturday night an IDF jeep was hit, but no damage or injuries were recorded. Early Monday morning, there was a second firing incident near Tel Hazaka, where currently there are severe clashes between rebel forces and Syrian government soldiers.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz has given the order for IDF patros to shoot back at any source of fire from the other side of the border. But in two of the recent three cases the patrols could not locate the source of fire.
The website Walla reports a concern in the IDF that the Golan Heights region could become a magnet for terrorist attacks against Israeli soldiers near borderline perimeter fence. A sector officer told Walla that the military is getting ready to face any eventuality in the area.
Over the past few months, its has been reported that rebel forces, comprised mostly of Al Qaeda fighters, have been pulling to the south of Syria, as the battles between the two sides are raging. On Saturday, the beleaguered Syrian President accused Israel of supporting the rebels in order to bring him down. But Sources in the Israeli security services have been stressing that the “devil we know,” Assad, is by far preferable to Israel over his enemies.
