Eli Ashkenazi
Haaretz
November 8, 2012 - 1:00am
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/3-mortar-shells-fired-from-syria-h...


Three mortar shells were fired from Syria into northern Israel on Thursday, in what appears to have been an errant targeting.

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

This is the third security incident involving Syria in less than a week.

On Monday evening, an Israel Defense Forces jeep was hit by a bullet from Syria near the Syria-Israel border. No one was injured in the incident, but the vehicle was damaged.

The jeep in question is used by a commander of the IDF's Golani brigade, an officer with the grade of lieutenant colonel. The officer was driving the vehicle at the time that the bullet hit.

An IDF source said that this was the result of "mistaken fire by Syrian rebels."

On Sunday, IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz toured the border, and told troops in the area to stay on alert. Speaking to his commanders during the tour, he said that the fighting in Syria may spill over into Israel, describing "a Syrian issue that is likely to become our issue."

One day earlier, on Saturday, three Syrian tanks entered the demilitarized border zone near the Beer Ajam village in the Syrian-controlled central Golan Heights.

Following the unusual incident, the IDF heightened its alert level in the area and lodged a complaint with the United Nations.

The IDF later said that the reason the tanks entered the buffer zone was due to the internal fighting in Syria.

Mortar shells fired from Syria hit the northern Golan Heights in July and September, as well. The IDF lodged a complaint then to the international peacekeeping force in the Golan Heights.




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