IDF strikes Syrian targets in response to Golan crossfire
The IDF says spillover from the Syrian civil war is treated with the utmost severity, after several projectile land on Golan.
By DANIEL J. ROTH, HAGAY HACOHEN, ARIANE MANDELL, HERB KEINONUpdated: JUNE 25, 2017 11:55Israel strikes Syrian targets in response to earlier cross-border fire, June 24, 2017. (IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
Israel will not tolerate any violation of its security on any front, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday shortly after the IDF retaliated against Syria for the firing of 10 projectiles onto the Golan Heights.“With the IDF action today, we are making our policy clear again,” Netanyahu said. “We are not willing to accept any ‘drizzle’ [of fire] or ‘spillover’ on any front. We will react with force to any firing on our territory.”According to Arab media sources, the IDF attack reportedly left two Syrian Army soldiers dead after Israeli Air Force jets struck tanks belonging to the regime of President Bashar Assad. It also hit another position from which one of the projectiles was fired on the Golan.Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman also issued a statement saying Israel would not tolerate any breach of its sovereignty and would react forcefully even if the firing on Israel is the result of “spillover” from fighting between the rebels and the Syrian regime.“We react with force, determination and discretion to every such incident, as the IDF did [today] on the Golan Heights. As far as we are concerned, the Assad regime is responsible for what is happening in its territory, and it will continue to bear the consequences if such events repeat themselves,” he said.The IDF said spillover from the Syrian civil war is treated with the utmost severity and noted that it “will not tolerate any attempt to harm the sovereignty of the State of Israel and the security of its residents.”It noted as much in a protest letter sent swiftly to UN Disengagement Observer Force following the incident.Spillover fire from Syria on Saturday was reported by Israeli authorities less than an hour before Israel responded, the IDF confirmed.Although no casualties or damage to property were reported in the incident, the IDF issued instructions to farmers and civilians near the Quneitra border crossing into Syria to avoid open fields.Backpackers and hikers – who flock to the Golan at this time of year – were also evacuated from the area.
In April, Israel fired a Patriot anti-ballistic missile, reportedly intercepting a drone that entered Israel’s airspace from Syria. In February, an explosion, which occurred in open territory on the Golan Heights, led to an IDF attack on a Syrian Army post, claimed Lebanese TV network Al Mayadeen.