BICOM

A mortar shell from the ongoing fighting in Syria landed on the Israeli side of the Golan Heights yesterday, prompting Israeli forces to target Syrian army rocket launchers in response.

The Syrian shell landed in an open field in Kibbutz Merom Golan. It did not cause any injuries or damage. The mortar is assumed by Israel to have been errant fire from the ongoing Syrian Civil War.

In response, Israel struck targets belonging to President Bashar al-Assad’s forces. Israel insists that as the nominal ruling power in Syria, Assad’s government is responsible for such incidents. An IDF statement said: “The Israeli air force targeted Syrian armed forces mortar launchers in the northern Syrian Golan Heights.”

Although Israel has remained firmly on the sidelines during the five-year Syrian Civil War, stray fire has infrequently landed in Israel, prompting an IDF response. On occasion, Iranian-backed terror group Hezbollah, which fights alongside Assad’s forces, has attempted to attack Israeli troops near the border.

Yesterday’s activity comes just days after an almost identical incident. On Sunday, a mortar shell was fired from Syria into the northern part of the Israeli Golan Heights. Although no injuries were reported from the mortar fire, damage was caused to a road. Hours later, Israeli forces responded by firing at artillery targets belonging to President Assad’s government forces.

Assad’s troops have long been fighting against opposition Islamist groups linked to al-Qaeda adjacent to Israel’s border. Earlier this week, the Iranian media said that Assad’s forces alongside Hezbollah are preparing for a significant offensive in the area close to the border.

The Fars news agency reported: “The Syrian army and Hezbollah fighters have been working on a joint plan to end militancy in Southern Syria, particularly near the Golan Heights.”
The story did not provide any further details of when such an operation might take place.