Israeli Forces Open Fire at 'Armed Suspects' on Syrian Border - IDF

TEL AVIV (Sputnik) - Israeli servicemen opened fire at a group of armed people, who had crossed into a demilitarized area on the Golan Heights controlled by the Syrian government army, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) press service said Monday.

"Our troops spotted armed suspects crossing the Alpha Line into #Israel near the #Syrian border fence in the Golan Heights. In response, our troops fired towards them. We will continue to operate against violations of Israeli sovereignty & the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement," the press service said on Twitter.

The incident has not resulted into casualties among Israelis. The Syrian side has not provided the information about casualties so far.

The disputed Golan Heights are located between Israel's northeastern border and Syria's southwest. Most of the Golan territory has been under Israel's control since the country occupied the area in 1967 and effectively annexed it in 1981.

The fighting in the area resumed in 2013 as part of the Syrian war as a result of which the area was captured by militants, who operated in the Golan Heights for several years before being purged from the area by the government forces.

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In August, Russia said its troops in Syria would assist UN peacekeepers in patrolling the Syrian side of the demilitarized Golan Heights buffer zone with Israel.