The IDF reports that the mortars were not intended to reach the Jewish state but landed near the border during internal Syrian fighting.

 

This latest development in the Golan Heights comes after Syrian troops recently entered the demilitarized zone during fighting with rebels which drew an official complaint from Israel to the United Nations. The buffer area is the result of a disengagement agreement between Israel and Syria dating back to 1974 and the area is monitored by a UN force of 8,000 soldiers.

 

Many in Israel are concerned that if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad falls, his stockpile of biological weapons could be grabbed by Islamist militants, hostile to the Jewish state.

 

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak:

 

"We as Israelis are following very carefully the possibility that Hezbollah from Lebanon will try to grab some advanced weapon systems, be it surface-to-air missiles, or ground-to-ground missiles or even some chemical warfare means, and try to transfer them into Lebanon."

 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ministers at a weekly cabinet meeting that Israel was closely monitoring the situation in Syria and the Jewish state was "prepared for any eventuality that might develop". Israel’s head of military intelligence recently voiced a concern that Syrian territory bordering the Golan could become a haven for militant groups in much the same way as Egypt's Sinai desert has become a launching pad for attacks on southern Israel.

 

Source: JN1