A cross-border exchange of fire in the Golan Heights between the Israeli and Syrian armies early on Tuesday triggered a claim by the Damascus regime that a jeep manned by Israeli troops had entered Syrian territory and was destroyed.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) denied the claim, saying shots were deliberately fired at a patrol inside the Israeli-controlled the Golan Heights, causing minor damage and no injuries. “In response, IDF forces returned precise fire at the source and reported a direct hit,” it said.
It was the latest in a string of cross-border incidents in recent months, which have raised concerns that the two-year-old civil war in Syria could spill over into the neighbouring Golan Heights, which Israel has occupied for more than 40 years.
Israel has launched three air strikes against targets inside Syria in recent weeks, all of which the country claimed were targeting weapons/supplies intended for Hezbollah. It remains to be seen what sort of impact today’s exchange of fire will have on ongoing attempts to jump-start peace talks between the Syrian government and rebel fighters.
From Bad To Worse: The civil war in Syrian took one step closer to becoming an international conflict today. While the war didn’t receive much attention during the presidential debates, it seems increasingly likely that President Obama will be forced to intervene or provide a convincing reason for inaction in coming months. What role, if any, do you think outside nations should play in the conflict? source
“Anyone who tries to cross the border will be killed.” That was the message Israeli soldiers had today, the anniversary of the day when Golan Heights fell from Syrian hands to Israeli ones. Today, dozens of protesters, mostly Palestinian, went up to the border of the strategically-important piece of land — and were fired upon by Israeli soldiers. At least 14 died, and hundreds were injured during the protests. Prior to the violence, Benjamin Netanyahu told Israeli soldiers to act with restraint but determination while protecting the border. “To my regret, today there are extremists around us trying to breach our borders, and threaten our towns and citizens,” he said to his cabinet. “We will not allow this.” source
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