Is Israel Being Drawn into Syrian Conflict?
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iStockphoto/Thinkstock(JERUSALEM) — For the first time since the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) fired at Syria on Sunday after a mortar round from that country landed in the Golan Heights.
There were no damage or injuries but Israeli soldiers nonetheless fired warning shots into Syria.
The incident occurred after an Israeli vehicle was struck by Syrian fire in the same area last week as well as three Syrian tanks entering the demilitarized buffer zone to target rebel forces.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his country was “ready for any development” on the border with Syria. So far, Israel has not been involved in the ongoing conflict between President Bashar al-Assad government and opposition fighters.
The Golan Heights was taken from Syria by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War. Syria failed to get back the land during the 1973 war, and both countries signed an armistice in 1974.
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