BICOM

Israeli forces fired on Syrian army artillery positions after a mortar fired from Syria landed in Northern Israel.

The mortar round landed in the Northern Golan Heights yesterday, close to the Syrian border. Israel responded by firing on an artillery battery belonging to the Syrian army, which is thought to have been responsible for the mortar.  No injuries or damage was reported and the mortar was removed by Israeli military sappers. It is thought that the mortar was stray fire from fighting in the Syrian border town of Quneitra, where Syrian Government forces have been battling opposition groups.

In an official statement the IDF said the mortar fire was believed to be “spillover” from the Syrian Civil War, but added that “the IDF will not tolerate any attempt to attack the sovereignty of the state of Israel and the security if its people. The IDF regards the Syrian regime as responsible to everything that happens in its territory”.

Following the Israeli response, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency, the Syrian General Command warned “against the repercussions of repeating such an attack”.

Although Israel has remained firmly on the sidelines during the five-year Syrian Civil War, stray fire has landed in Israel, prompting an IDF response against Syrian army positions. The IDF holds President Assad’s regime responsible for such stray fire as the nominal ruling power in Syria.

In September, shells were fired into Israel from Syria on several occasions. Israel’s Iron Dome rocket interception system was deployed in the area. For the first time it intercepted two long-range mortars fired from Syria.

In addition to the danger of rocket fire, the chaos of the Syrian Civil War has also allowed Hezbollah to attempt attacks on Israeli troops near the border. Hezbollah is a staunch ally of Assad, fighting alongside his troops. Hezbollah has also attempted to smuggle advanced weaponry into Lebanon from Syria, occasionally prompting Israeli air strikes to prevent such a transfer.