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Syrian mortar explodes in Israel

Israel’s policy to stay out of the Syrian Civil War does not prevent it from responding to any fire that falls within its territory. As the fighting draws nearer to the border, Israel remains on alert and will continue to target the sources of fire that threaten Israeli civilians.

A mortar round fired by one of the factions fighting in Syria’s civil war in the area near Israel’s northern border exploded in Israeli territory on Wednesday evening.

No one was injured by the projectile, and no damage was caused.

The IDF has yet to respond to the incident.

In the past weeks there have been a growing number of incidents of fire spilling over from the Syrian civil war into Israeli territory. This was the sixth such incident in the past week, and at least 11 shells have exploded inside Israel in the past two weeks.

The US State Department issued a travel warning to its citizens in Israel on Wednesday, warning them to stay away from Israel’s northern border with Syria. US government employees are temporarily prohibited from personal travel in the area.

“Recent events underscore the importance of situational awareness.  We remind you to be aware of your surroundings at all times, to monitor the media, and to follow directions of emergency responders,” the message said.

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Opposing factions in Syria’s civil war have been battling heavily in recent weeks in the area adjacent to Israel’s northern border.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which tracks the fighting in Syria, reported that one terrorist of the Fatah al-Sham organization was killed on Wednesday in clashes with Assad regime forces in the Kuneitra area, situated along Israel’s border.

There have been several incidents of fire straying from the Syrian conflict into Israeli territory. The IDF has previously responded to some of the incidents with artillery shelling or an air strike against Syrian army positions or those used by the rebels, in most cases against the source of the stray fire.

By: Aryeh savir, World Israel News