Israel Fires Warning Shots into Syria
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Israeli troops fired warning shots into Syria Sunday, the army said in a statement, in what public radio said was the first Israeli fire directed at the military in the Golan Heights area since the 1973 war.
"A short while ago, a mortar shell hit an IDF post in the Golan Heights adjacent to the Israel-Syria border, as part of the internal conflict inside Syria. In response, IDF soldiers fired warning shots towards Syrian areas," the army said in a statement.
Military sources told AFP that the army used a single Tamuz anti-tank missile, a weapon known for being highly accurate.
In addition, the army said in its statement it had filed a complaint through the local UN forces, warning that "fire emanating from Syria into Israel will not be tolerated and shall be responded to with severity."
Earlier on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was "closely monitoring what is happening on our border with Syria and there too we are ready for any development."
Sunday's cross-border fire was the latest in a string of incidents in which fire has spilled from Syria across the ceasefire line.
On Thursday, three stray mortar rounds from Syria hit the Golan, which Israel seized from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed in 1981 in a move never recognized by the international community.
And on Monday, an Israeli military vehicle patrolling the buffer zone was hit by gunfire, with the army acknowledging it was caused by "stray bullets."
No one was wounded, but the incident prompted an Israeli complaint to the United Nations Security Council in which it described the gunfire as a "grave violation" of a 1974 agreement on security in the buffer zone.
Two days earlier, three Syrian tanks entered Bir Ajam village, five kilometers (three miles) southeast of Quneitra, in the demilitarized zone, sparking another Israeli complaint to the U.N.
Since Israel and Syria signed the 1974 disengagement agreement, a 1,200-strong unarmed U.N. force has patrolled the buffer zone.
11 November 2012, 15:38
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Likely the same thing Assad did when Turkey "violated Syrian sovereignty" when it responded to Syrian fire on Turkish territory -- Assad will back off. He's not looking for another front, whether its Turkey or Israel.
It's interesting how Turkey and Israel are alligned here -- both responding to unprovoked Syrian fire.
11 November 2012, 15:40
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How many times in the last couple of weeks have tanks entered the demilitarized zone, how many times have Syrian Shells landed in Israeli occupied Golan Heights, how many shots from the demilitarized zone have hit Israeli targets?
And all this before Israel even fired a single shot back, for the first time since 1973.
11 November 2012, 22:56
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Phillipo as far as I'm concerned you are more than welcome to post here any time. We may not agree on everything by I welcome the exchange of ideas. Those who can't deal with opposing views will just bark at you.
11 November 2012, 16:03
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Keep it up Assad... And you will speed up your demise and that of all your lackeys and associates, be it Iranians or the followers of ali baba nasrallah and their so called criminal associates starting with the crooked Berri and his militia and not ending with that bully herdan and his ragtag hoodlums...
11 November 2012, 17:02
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Correction! Israel fired from occupied Syria into Syria. Israel has nothing to do there in the first place and should return occupied Syrian land.
11 November 2012, 19:15
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awesome, first Turkey, then Israel. Now if we can get Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon to start asserting their territorial independence, we may have something.
11 November 2012, 21:26
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to "theresistance". Wow how biased you are.
Firstly how do you come to the conclusion that I am Jewish?
"Israeli occupied" means exactly that the land is occupied by Israel but belongs to another country, so you pathetic moron - learn English.
You are so warped that a-you can even spell Israel correctly and b-you assume that everyone who doesn't fit in with your way of thought must be a Zionist.
By the way, just as I read Naharnet, Khaleej Times, Jordan Times, etc I also read the other side, Haaretz and Yediot in English, and JP. All the news channels I have mentioned at least give you a balanced reading as to what is going on in the Middle East.
11 November 2012, 21:29
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"Israeli attack" Excuse me, but naharnet and all other news agencies around the world (except perhaps for Hizballah) carried the article of AFP stating categorically that Israeli retaliated.
11 November 2012, 23:05
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What is your point phillipo are you trying to tell us Israel never attacked us before dude ,if the answer is yes when and where? It is funny how Israel have so many Lebanese willing to defend the Jews at any cost..
12 November 2012, 07:16
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Of course Israel attacked you. When....when you allowed Hizballah to get control of the south of your country and start firing rockets into Israel and crossing the border to kidnap and murder Israeli soldiers, or going back in time when you allowed Arafat and his thugs to occupy parts of even your capital Beirut.
Israel has never had a problem with a duly elected Lebanese Government, and armed clashes between the Lebanese Army and the Israeli Army have been minimal over 63 years.
Is it funny that in the late 1980's the then Government of Lebanon signed a Peace Treay with Israel, only to have to tear it up at the demand of their Syrian masters?
12 November 2012, 13:01
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Tired of Israel and Iran's nonsense, same with KSA's. It's their stupidity and power hunger that is costing Lebanon dearly. Take your attitudes and shove it, Lebanon is for the Lebanese, not people who show up claiming to be Lebanese.
