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IDF assists UN troops on Israel-Syria border as rebels advance

IDF: ‘We have deployed additional forces to the Golan Heights and will continue to take action to protect the State of Israel and its citizens.’

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The IDF announced that it fought Syrian rebels after they threatened a UN position close to the Israel-Syria border.

The rebels attacked UN forces near Hader in the lower Mount Hermon area, opposite the Israeli town of Majdal Shams, where 12 Bedouin children were killed by a Hezbollah rocket.

In a statement, the IDF confirmed it was assisting UN forces.

“A short time ago, armed individuals launched an attack on a UN post in the Hader area of Syria. The IDF is currently supporting UN forces in repelling the assault.”

“The IDF has deployed additional forces to the Golan Heights and will continue to take action to protect the State of Israel and its citizens.”

Earlier reports indicated that rebel forces had taken control of the area close to Syria’s border with Israel after defeating government forces.

Syrian rebels seized the strategic city of Hama on Thursday, marking a significant victory after a rapid advance across northern Syria. The capture dealt a severe setback to President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian and Iranian allies.

In response, the Syrian military announced it was redeploying forces outside the city “to protect civilian lives and avoid urban combat” following what it described as intense clashes.

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Rebel forces indicated they were preparing to continue their push southward toward Homs, a key crossroads city that connects Damascus to the north and the coast.

“Your time has come,” said a rebel operations room in an online post, calling city residents to rise up in revolution.

The rebels captured the northern city of Aleppo last week and have since advanced south from their stronghold in northwest Syria. Intense fighting has been ongoing for two days around villages near Hama.

The capture of Hama, which had remained under government control since the start of the civil war triggered by the 2011 rebellion against Assad, is expected to send shockwaves through Damascus and fuel fears of a continued rebel advance southward.