Three mortar shells landed in Israel’s Golan Heights on Thursday morning, in what security officials are saying is an accidental firing as part of the bloody battle between forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad and a growing militant opposition.
Two shells fell near moshav Alonei HaBashan, causing no injuries or damage. The third shell landed inside the moshav, but miraculously did not detonate. IDF sappers disarmed the mortar.
On Monday, officials reported that it was a stray bullet which hit an army jeep patrolling on the border. On November 3, three Syrian tanks entered a demilitarized zone between Syria and Israel. Israel filed a complaint with the UN, which has a large cadre of “peacekeepers” stationed in the area.
Since the beginning of Syria’s civil war in March 2011, over 36,000 Syrians have been killed on both sides and approximately half a million people are considered refugees.