IDF admits 2 wounded Syrians to hospital in Israel
Army treats 4 Syrians wounded in civil war at border; five shells fired from Syria land in Lebanon.
By JPOST.COM STAFF, REUTERSIDF soldier in the Golan overlooking Syria 370 (R)(photo credit: NIR ELIAS / Reuters)
The army provided medical care to four wounded Syrians who approached the Golan border fence on Wednesday, evacuating two of them to Israeli hospitals for further treatment, the IDF Spokesman’s Office said.IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz approved the treatment, which was provided for humanitarian reasons.The army emphasized that the move did not represent a change in Israel’s policy regarding the acceptance of refugees from Syria. The two wounded Syrians taken to Israel would be returned to Syria following treatment, the IDF said.Click for full JPost coverageIsrael took in seven wounded Syrians for treatment on February 16 , admitting them to Ziv Hospital in Safed. The Syrians were wounded in the civil war between forces loyal to President Bashar Assad and armed rebels. The Golan Heights’ eastern foothills, under Syrian control, have seen increased fighting between the sides.Six of the seven Syrians admitted on February 16 were repatriated to Syria after treatment on February 27.The seventh is still under Israeli medical care with severe wounds.The Syrian civil war also crossed into Lebanese territory on Wednesday, when five shells fired from Syria hit in Lebanon, one day after President Michel Suleiman warned that Syrian strikes on his country’s soil were an unacceptable violation of its sovereignty.Witnesses said the shells hit in fields near al-Qasr, a village less than 1.6 km. from the border, but no one was hurt.The Syrian government has warned it may strike at rebels taking refuge across the frontier.
