SyriaIsrael, for the first time since the October 1973 war, fires warning shots into Syria
The civil war in Syria has taken an ominous turn on Sunday as Israel, for the first time since the October 1973 Yom Kippur war, fired into Syria to warn the beleaguered Assad government that Israel would not tolerate shelling from Syrian territory into Israel; on four separate occasions last week, mortars from Syria fell in the Golan Heights, an area Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 war; it appears that the mortar fire was not intentional, but rather stray rounds, the result of errand shelling; on Saturday nine days ago, a few Syrian tanks entered a no-man’s land near the Israel border, in violation of the 1974 cease-fire and force-separation agreement between Israel and Syria
Israel returns fire into Syria in warning // Source: laodong.com.vn
The civil war in Syria has taken an ominous turn on Sunday as Israel, for the first time since the October 1973 Yom Kippur war, fired into Syria to warn the beleaguered Assad government that Israel would not tolerate shelling from Syrian territory into Israel.
An Israeli artillery unit fired one Tamuz guided missile at a Syrian artillery battery, located two-and-half miles inside Syria. The missile was guided to explode abut three hundred yards from the Syrian battery so to send a signal of Israeli resolve, rather the kill Syrian soldiers.
On four separate occasions last week, mortars from Syria fell in the Golan Heights, an area Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 war. It appears that the mortar fire was not intentional, but rather stray rounds, the result of errand shelling.
On Saturday nine days ago, a few Syrian tanks entered a no-man’s land near the Israel border, in violation of the 1974 cease-fire and force-separation agreement between Israel and Syria.
Haaretz reports that the Israeli military said on three occasions, the shells fell in empty fields, but that on the fourth occasion, a mortar hit an Israeli military post. The mortar fire caused no injuries or damage at the post.
Israel warned that it holds Syria responsible for fire on Israeli-held territory. “A short while ago, a mortar shell targeted an IDF (Israel Defense Forces) post in the Golan Heights,” said army spokeswoman Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich. “We answered with a warning shot toward Syrian areas. We understand this was a mistake and was not meant to target Israel and then that is why we fired a warning shot in retaliation.”
The Israeli military also said it has filed a complaint with UN forces operating in the area, stating that “fire emanating from Syria into Israel will not be tolerated and shall be responded to with severity.”
The Assad regime no longer controls the majority of Syria’s territory. The vast areas outside the major Syrian cities are in various states of anarchy, with different militias and armed groups exerting influence in different parts of the country.
Israel has four main worries with regard to the deteriorating situation in Syria:
- If Syrian the Bashar Assad’s regime collapses, Syria could fall into the hands of Islamic extremists
- Syria could also follow the example of Somalia and descend into sectarian warfare with no central government to exercise authority
- Syria’s huge arsenal of chemical weapons – the world’s largest – and advanced missiles could fall into the hands of the Lebanese Shi’a militant group Hezbollah group
- The frontier area could turn into a lawless area like Egypt’s Sinai desert, which Islamic militants to launch attacks against southern Israel, and Iranian operatives use to supply arms to Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
