Stray Fire from Syria Wounds Israeli Soldier
Stray gunfire from Syria wounded an Israeli soldier in the Golan Heights on Monday, the Israeli army said.
"An IDF (Israeli army) soldier was injured by errant fire from internal fighting in Syria. He was evacuated to hospital," an army statement said, without elaborating.
The incident came as Syrian troops and Islamist rebels fought for control of areas near the Quneitra crossing, which Israel closed after al-Qaida-linked fighters took it over last month.
Israel responded to "errant fire" last week, hitting a Syrian military position after what was described as a "projectile" hit the Israeli-occupied sector of the strategic Golan plateau without causing damage or casualties.
Israel is closely monitoring fighting between Syrian troops and Islamist rebels near the armistice line for fear of a spillover of the internal conflict.
There has been repeated fire across the ceasefire line since the uprising in Syria erupted in March 2011, not all of it stray.
In June, Israeli warplanes attacked Syrian military headquarters and positions after an Israeli teenager was killed in what the Jewish state said was a cross-border attack by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Israel seized 1,200 square kilometers (460 square miles) of the Golan Heights during the Six-Day War of 1967, then annexed it in 1981 in a move never recognized by the international community.
Source: Agence France Presse
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/146606 |