Israel records direct hit on Syria artillery launcher

by JewishNewsOne

Israeli tanks have struck a Syrian artillery launcher after a stray mortar shell flew into the demilitarized Golan Heights territory making the strike the first direct clash between the two neighboring countries since the Syrian uprising began nearly two years ago.



The strike comes just a day after Israel fired warning shots at Syrian regime forces in an effort to dissuade troops fighting against rebels in Syria from firing mortars into the Golan region, which Israel officially annexed during the Arab-Israeli war of 1973.



Israeli Defence Forces have filed an official complaint with the United Nations saying that rocket fire coming from Syria into Israel will not go unanswered, after Syrian tanks strayed into the demilitarised zone last week.



The salvos are the first between the two countries in nearly 40 years. With fighting already spilling into Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, the confrontation is fueling new fears that the Syrian civil war could drag Israel into the violence.



During the summer, Israelis lined up to get a gas masks as citizens worried Syria's chemical weapons stockpile could fall into the hands of Jihadists or Hezbollah. Now, Turkey's president has warned that the Syria could use chemical weapons in a last ditch effort to hold on to power. Whatever happens in the Golan Heights, Israelis won't be taking any chances with their safety.