JERUSALEM, Nov 12 (Reuters) – Israel’s army fired tank
shells into Syria on Monday and scored “direct hits” in response
to a Syrian mortar shell that struck the Israeli-controlled
Golan Heights, the Israeli military said in a statement.
Israeli military sources said Syrian mobile artillery was
directly hit in the incident.
It was the second time in two days that Israel has responded
to what it said was errant Syrian fire. On Sunday the military
said it had a fired a “warning shot” across the disengagement
line, while on Monday it said it had fired back at “the source”.
Military sources would not say if the mortar bomb was fired
by Syrian army forces or by the rebels they are battling in and
around the United Nations’ patrolled area of separation.
“A short while ago, a mortar shell hit an open area in the
vicinity of an (Israeli Defense Forces) post in the central
Golan Heights, as part of the internal conflict inside Syria,
causing no damage or injuries,” the military statement said.
“In response, IDF soldiers fired tank shells towards the
source of the fire, confirming direct hits. The IDF has filed a
complaint with the UN forces operating in the area, stating that
fire emanating from Syria into Israel will not be tolerated and
shall be responded to with severity.”
Syrian rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad
have been fighting his army for months in towns inside and
adjacent to the Area of Separation between Israel and Syria,
along the disengagement line drawn at the end of their 1973 war.
Technically the countries are still at war, but the Golan, a
strategic plateau Israel captured in 1967, has been largely
quiet for decades.
