Tag: Golan

Posted on

SYRIA CRISIS CONTINUES: Gunfire Spills Over into Israel Three Days in a Row, IDF Responds

Gunfire from Syria was reported this morning (Monday) in the Golan Heights, for the third consecutive day. As in the past two days, there are no casualties or damage.

The IDF ordered farmers in the Quneitra Valley to evacuate their orchards and closed the road leading to Ein Zivan, due to heavy smoke in the area as a result of the fighting in Syria.

Security sources reported hearing IDF tank fire, ostensibly in response to Syrian territory, but said that “the reports of an attack in Syria are false reports.” It added that “there were no indications and risks in the systems, and no alarm was sounded.”

Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman said at the start of yesterday’s cabinet meeting:

“We have a lot of prophets who predict war in the north or the south, we have no intention of initiating a military move – neither in the south nor in the north.” However, he clarified that “we are not going to give a pass on anything, everything will have a powerful response.”

“I wanted to warn the people in Damascus, whoever wants to turn the area there into a Hizbullah base, give it another thought,” added Lieberman. “We will not accept that Syria becomes another base that will become a front against Israel.” 

As Syria and Iranian backed militias gain a foothold in the Quneitra district, Israel will be forced to openly back the rebels in the area or enter the war themselves.  If Syria and Iran gain access to the Golan, Israel’s security would be imperiled due to the Golan’s strategic vantage point.

Posted on

SYRIA CRISIS, BREAKING: IDF Fires Back at Syria After Getting Hit With Mortars

The IDF announced that reports they retaliated to Syrian mortars were in fact true.

The IDF has instructed farmers to stay out of open areas. Furthermore, the IDF has closed Highway 98, which runs near the Golan Heights border, due to exchanges of gunfire across the border in Syria.

Israel has gone out of its way to stay directly out of the Syrian Civil War. However, it has become clear that Israel has funneled supplies to militias friendly to the Jewish State in order to keep Syrian and Iranian forces far from the border. Israel Rising reported last week as Daraa falls to regime forces, the Syrian government and Iranian militias will put heavy pressure on the Free Syrian Army in the Golan area.

Posted on

Syrian Fires Mortars Into Israel…Again, Will Israel Strike Back?

The IDF is now reporting that the Golan has suffered another mortar attack. There have been no injuries.  This follows a mortar attack on Saturday, which caused the Israeli Airforce to retaliate attacking Syrian military positions who were engaged in fighting Al-Nusra.

“We will respond strongly, resolutely and with level-headedness to any such case,” Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said. “As far as we are concerned the Assad regime is responsible for what occurs in its territory and will continue to suffer the consequences if such events recur.”

The attack today may not cause the IAF to attack back, but as fighting ensues on Israel’s border the Israeli military will have to reconsider their involvement. This is especially true if the Syrian government succeeds in pushing rebel forces and ISIS.

Posted on

SYRIA CRISIS: Will Har Dov Be Iran’s First Target in Israel?

Har Dov maybe the first target of an Iranian attack on Israel.

As the Iranian and Russian backed Syrian government continues to extend its offenses South into the Daraa province, effectively cutting off Israel backed militias in the Eastern Golan with their counterparts East of Jabal Al-Druze, the next stop for the campaign is to move West on the Golan border.

Israel has controlled the Golan since 1967 and annexed the mountainous area in 1981.  Syria has never hidden its ambition in taking back the strategic territory, either through war or negotiations. Unlike the Southern Lebanese border area, the Golan has only recently been the subject and focus of Hezbollah.

With the advance of the Russian-Iranian axis the Har Dov area of the Golan takes an added statregic importance. Claimed by both Lebanon and Syria, Har Dov, also known as the Shebaa Farms has been the source of increased surveilance by Hezbollah.

Sources close to Israel Rising told us the official response to these surveliance actions has been to not shoot out of fear of starting a war with Hezbollah prematurely.  Hezbollah agents are often seen close to the mountainous border fence aking pictures.  Since they are not armed, soldiers refrain from shooting.

So why is Iran focused on Har Dov?

Although the international community has backed Israel’s claim that the area is in fact Syrian and included in the Golan Heights, the Lebanese government still claims the strategic region.  More than that the border area is pourous as the IDF was forced to fence in the entire Arab town of Ghajar which is further South of Har Dov and lies on both sides of the Lebanese border.

As far as strategic importance, Har Dov leads to the Banias river which descends into the upper Galil opening up the entire Israeli North. With Iran/Syria/Russia building up on the Golan’s Eastern border, an attack and infiltration on Har Dov could effectively cut the Golan off from Northern Israel.

 

Har Dov in the Golan
Image Source: Garzo/Wiki

 

With the continued breakdown of the US backed coalition forces in Southern Syria, Har Dov becomes critical in defending against an Iranian backed attack on Iran. Northern Israel and the Golan Heights is fast becoming the next showdown in the Syrian conflict.