At least 10 Syrians were killed during clashes with Israeli troops east of the Golan Heights on Thursday morning as local mosques urged residents to rise up and launch a religious war against Israel.
By World Israel News Staff
At least 10 Syrian gunmen were killed and more injured during clashes with Israeli forces in southwestern Syria on Thursday morning.
The skirmish took place between the towns of Nawa and Tasil in the Daraa governorate, roughly 13 kilometers (8 miles) east of the Israeli Golan Heights.
While the territory is beyond the 1974 buffer zone that Israel returned to IDF control after the overthrow of the Assad government last December, IDF forces have operated in the area to ensure southern Syria remains demilitarized.
According to the IDF, Israeli troops were deployed to an area outside of Tasil to dismantle terrorist infrastructure and seize weapons stashed in the area.
Syrian gunmen attacked the IDF force, sparking a gun battle, with Israeli aircraft called in to support the ground force.
“During the night, forces from the 474th Brigade operated in the Tasil area of southern Syria, seizing weapons and destroying terrorist infrastructure,” an IDF spokesperson said.
“During the operation, several armed individuals fired at our forces in the area. The forces responded with gunfire, eliminating several armed terrorists from both the ground and the air.
“The presence of weapons in southern Syria poses a threat to the State of Israel. The IDF will not allow a military threat to exist in Syria and will act against it,” he concluded.
The Israeli military said that no casualties were suffered by the IDF force in Tasil.
The Syrian government claimed that 10 people were killed during the clashes, which Syrian state media said involved not only Israeli aircraft but also artillery.
The anti-Assad, London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the clashes occurred amid calls by local mosques for residents to carry out “jihad” against Israelis operating in Syrian territory.