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Three mortar shells from Syria hits Golan demilitarized zone

08 November 2012 18:58 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Three stray mortar shells fell in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) in the Golan Heights on the Israel- Syrian border on Tuesday, which defense officials believe to be related to the inner-fighting in Syria, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

One of the shells landed on the fence surrounding the Alonei Habashan community near the DMZ, but did not explode. The other two exploded in open areas. No casualties were reported.

Security officials at the scene seemed positive that there was no intention against Israel, but that the incidents are a by- product of Syria’s civil war, which has been going on since March last year.

This is another incident in a line of several, in which the inner-fighting in Syria have "leaked" into the DMZ, close to the border with Syria.

On Wednesday, four stray bullets hit a Israeli military outpost at the center of the Golan Heights, no damages or injuries were reported. A day ago, a military SUV was hit by stray bullets fired from within Syrian territory as well.

On Saturday, three Syrian tanks entered the buffer zone in the Golan Heights, prompting Israel to issue an official complaint to the UN the following day.

UN forces across the border have increased patrols along the Syria-Israel border to prevent any friction between the two countries.

"There have been sporadic firefights between the Syrian security forces, including the Syrian army, and armed members of the opposition in the area of separation in Golan," Martin Nesirky, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said Tuesday.

He said that the activity "has the potential to escalate tensions between Israel and Syria, and jeopardizes the ceasefire between the two countries and the stability of the region."

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it later, an act not recognized by the international community. The demilitarized zone was created after the 1973 war in which Syria tried to retake the strategic plateau, and Syria has long called for Israel’s full withdrawal from the area and set it as a condition for making peace with Israel.