- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Israeli Tank Fires 'Warning Shot' Toward Syrian Army - IDF Source

© AFP 2023 / JACK GUEZ An Israeli soldier stands on top of a Merkava tank near the border with Syria in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, on November 28, 2016
An Israeli soldier stands on top of a Merkava tank near the border with Syria in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, on November 28, 2016 - Sputnik International
Subscribe
Damascus is yet to comment on the situation. The two countries have been in a state of war for decades with a peace treaty never signed.

According an IDF source cited by RIA Novosti, Israeli troops have opened warning fire toward Syrian government forces. However, no official confirmation by the Israeli Defense Forces has followed so far.

The move, which is yet to be commented on by the Syrian government, was explained by Tel Aviv's opposition to Damascus erecting a military post in a demilitarized zone on the border it considers to be a violation of agreements. In addition to a tank firing what was described as a "warning shot," Israel has also sent a complaint to the UN Disengagement Observer Force Zone (UNDOF).

"The Syrian armed forces have violated the ceasefire agreement of 1974, carrying out construction work […] in the northern part of the demilitarized zone between Syria and Israel. The agreement prohibits the entry of heavy construction machinery or military vehicles there," the IDF source said.

There has been no immediate information about the losses from the Syrian side.

READ MORE: Israel to Continue to Operate in Syria to Protect Its Security — Netanyahu

Tel Aviv and Damascus, which have never signed a peace treaty and have multiple times exchanged tit-for-tat attacks in border areas, had signed the Agreement on Disengagement in 1974, which officially ended the Yom Kippur War, a time when Israel had control over the entire territory of the Golan Heights, including the area belonging to Syria.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - Sputnik International
Israel to Continue to Operate in Syria to Protect Its Security - Netanyahu
The Israeli annexation of the disputed territory of the Golan Heights, a part of which had been first seized during the Six-Day War in 1967, has been repeatedly condemned by the international community. According to the UN resolution adopted in 1981, the Golan Heights were declared as illegally occupied by Israel. In 2008, the United Nations reiterated its calls for Tel Aviv to return the 'annexed territory' — something that, according to the incumbent PM Benyamin Netanyahu, "Israel will never do".

Most recently, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that the country would "maintain absolute freedom of action" in Syria as Tel Aviv is guided only by the interests of national security.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала