No injuries or damage reported in incident; mortar explosions viewed as fallout from fighting between Syrian troops and rebels.
By JPOST.COM STAFF, YAAKOV LAPPINGolan border Syria truck 370(photo credit: REUTERS/Baz Ratner)
A mortar shell exploded Tuesday morning in Tel Fares near the Golan Heights border, Israel Radio reported.No injuries or damage were reported in the incident that follows the firing of two shells from Syria on Monday, which landed in the southern part of the Golan Heights.Tuesday and Monday's mortar explosions appeared unintentional results of fallout from fighting between Syrian troops and rebels, according to IDF evaluations.With the exception of the shells, northern Israel and the frontiers with Syria and Lebanon remained largely quiet on Monday, as the IDF sought to downplay fears and took steps to lower regional tensions.Airspace over the North was reopened, and the head of the IDF Northern Command, Maj.-Gen. Yair Golan, who took part in a traditional Golani Brigade race, said that “there are no winds of war” in the area.“Alongside readiness and alertness in the North, it’s always right to prepare and train,” Golan added.Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav said life was routine in the northern bay city, adding that he was expecting many tourists to fill the 50 new hotels being constructed there.The Haifa Municipality took basic precautions to ensure that it is prepared for emergencies, he said, noting that “we were not asked to do this by anyone.”Also on Monday, the IDF significantly downsized a drill scheduled to take place this week on the Lebanese border. The drill, involving the 91st Division of the Northern Command, was planned ahead of time, but was reduced in scale to decrease regional tensions and lessen the movement of army vehicles on northern roads.Two Iron Dome batteries stationed in recent days in Haifa and Safed are expected to remain deployed in the North for the time being.
