World Jewish News

Israel strikes Syrian position after shells fall in Golan Heights

The Israeli army struck a Syrian army position Thursday afternoon after a stray rocket fell on the Golan Heights.

Missile alert sirens sounded as spillover fire from Syria’s civil war landed in an uninhabited area of the Northern Golan Heights.

A statement by the IDF Spokesperson’s Office yesterday said: “The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to violate the sovereignty of the State of Israel and undermine the security of its residents. The IDF holds the Syrian regime responsible for what is done in its territory.”

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that Israel has “a clear policy. We will attack anyone who attacks us. We won’t accept spillover. If they attack us, we return fire”.

Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that “any violation of the sovereignty of the State of Israel will be met with a determined response”.

The minister is currently in Washington to discuss, amongst other issues, the Syrian conflict and Iran’s influence in Syria with the US Defence Secretary.

The Golan incident occurred a day after Iranian Chief of Staff Mohammad Hossein Bagheri declared that Iran would not permit Israel to attack Syrian targets, saying “it is not acceptable for the Zionist regime to violate Syria anytime it wants”.

On Monday the Israeli Air Force (IAF) bombed a surface-to-air missile battery near Damascus after rockets were fired at an Israeli aircraft.

EJP