Syrian Army, Rebels Battle near Israel Border Crossing

by Reuters and Israel Hayom Staff

"There are heavy explosions and fierce clashes ongoing in the area," says head of Syrian human rights group • Event marks first time rebels temporarily seize border crossing with Israel • IDF agrees to treat wounded combatants.

The Israel-Syria border, Thursday Photo credit: Gil Eliyahu/JINI

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The area of the fighting between the Syrian regime and rebel forces, two miles east of Israeli town Merom Golan

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Photo credit: Google Maps

Rebels seized then lost a border crossing on the demilitarized zone between Israel and Syria on Thursday, activists and the Israeli army said, as heavy clashes raged between the opposition and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces at the border crossing and in "Old Quneitra" town just adjacent to the border.

On Thursday morning, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed that the crossing had fallen into rebel hands. This was also confirmed by the Austrian Defense Ministry, which has peacekeeping troops on the Golan. Reuters reported that the Austrian troops in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force had "gone into their bunkers" during the battle. A few hours later, the Syrian army, using tanks, had retaken the border crossing, the IDF said.

The IDF said two shells originating from the Syrian fighting landed in the Israeli-held part of the Golan, with no casualties caused.

Credit: Reuters 

 

Israel is worried that the Golan, which it captured from Syria in 1967, will become a springboard for attacks on Israelis by jihadi fighters, who are taking part in the armed struggle against Assad. On Wednesday, Israel Hayom reported exclusively that Israel believes Hezbollah is working to open a front against Israel on the strategic plateau. 

"The rebels have seized the crossing near the old city of Quneitra in the occupied Golan Heights," said Rami Abdelrahman, head of the Observatory. "There are heavy explosions and fierce clashing ongoing in the area."

Eli Malka, head of the Golan Regional Council, told Channel 2's internet news site that residents were closely following the developments: "There is errant fire and some concern here on the Golan. We are working in complete coordination with the Israel Defense Forces." According to Army Radio, the authorities decided to close farmers' access to orchard fields located some two kilometers (1.2 miles) from the fighting. Highway 98 between the communities of Alonei Habashan and Ein Zivan was also closed.

According to Israel Radio, the IDF has again agreed to treat some of the wounded rebel combatants, several of whom were taken to Israeli hospitals. There is a military field hospital on the Israeli side of the Golan close to the border with Syria.

The Quneitra crossing is used primarily by U.N. peacekeepers and the Druze population on the Golan Heights. 

Its initial fall to the rebels, and then the Syrian army's counterattack, is likely to expedite the complete withdrawal of the U.N. peacekeeping force from the area. IDF officials have said recently that the fall of Quneitra, perhaps one of the regime's most important symbols of power, would signify a dramatic development. 

Speaking to Army Radio on Thursday, Hebrew University Professor Moshe Maoz said, "The identity of the rebels is crucial. There are reports that members of al-Qaida were in the area. This is bad news and it requires caution."

News of the fighting in Quneitra comes as Syrian troops and their Lebanese Hezbollah allies captured a strategic border town Wednesday after a grueling three-week battle, dealing a severe blow to rebels and opening the door for Assad's regime to seize back the country's central heartland.

The regime triumph in Qusair, which Assad's forces had bombarded for months without success, demonstrates the potentially game-changing role of Hezbollah in Syria's civil war. The gain could also embolden Assad to push for all-out military victory rather than participate in peace talks being promoted by the United States and Russia.

The Shiite terrorist group lost dozens of fighters in the battle for Qusair, underlining its commitment to support Assad's regime and edging the fight in Syria further into a regional sectarian conflict pitting the Middle East's Iranian-backed Shiite axis against Sunnis.

Most of the armed rebels in Syria are members of the country's Sunni Muslim majority, while Assad has retained core support among the country's minorities, including his own Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, along with Christians and Shiite Muslims.

The White House on Wednesday night condemned the town's capture and said Hezbollah's involvement threatens Lebanon's stability.

Reuters and Israel Hayom Staff  

Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=9803  

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