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Itongadol.- The IDF fired artillery and anti-tank rockets at two Syrian military posts in the central Golan Heights Tuesday morning after three mortar shells exploded in Israeli territory on the northern end of the plateau hours earlier.
The fire on Israel had been ruled to be spillover from fighting between Syrian regime forces and rebels on the Syrian side of the Golan.
“The IDF holds the Syrian army responsible and accountable for this blatant breach of Israeli sovereignty, and will not tolerate any attacks emanating from Syria, intentional or not,” the army said.
There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties from the Israeli attack. No damage or casualties was reported from the mortar shells.
“The rockets were errant fire as a result of the internal fighting in Syria. Forces are searching the area,” the IDF said in a statement following the mortar shells’ fall.
The Syrian Golan has been the site of intense fighting in recent years between Assad regime forces and the Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate. More recently, the area has seen burgeoning activity by Hezbollah and Iran’s al-Quds Force aimed at opening a new potential front against Israel in any future conflict.
A previous Israeli strike on Syrian positions following spillover fighting last month reportedly drew condemnation from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who recently sent forces to Syria to bolster President Bashar Assad.
A number of mortars have landed in Israeli territory as a result of spillover fighting over the last several years, raising fears among residents near the border.
Israel maintains a policy of holding Damascus responsible for all fire from Syria into Israel regardless of the source of the fire.
Israeli and Russian officials are currently in the midst of a series of meetings designed to assure their forces don’t accidentally tangle up in Syria.