Syria – Rebels Take Two Buffer Zone Towns With Israel

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    Israeli tanks sat in position overlooking a Syrian village Monday. (Avihu Shapira/Reuters)Syria – Rebels have seized control over two towns in the buffer zone with Israel, The Daily Telegraph reported late on Tuesday.

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    According to the report, which cites an Israeli military intelligence source from the Northern Command, 200 or more rebels took control of Be’er Ajam and Bariqa.

    Earlier in the month, the Syrian military caused a stir when three of its tanks entered Be’er Ajam, prompting Israel to raise its alert levels and complain to the United Nations.

    “The rebels are employing a clear tactic of drawing the regime forces to fight in these demilitarized areas because of the limitations on the Syrian armed forces,” the Telegraph quoted the Israeli source as saying. “Rebels have seized control of the area north of Quneitra and the area to its south. If they are brave they will try to make a swift move to cut off Quneitra city and cut off the road to Damascus. We cannot rule that out as a next step.”

    According to the Telegraph, the fighters include al-Qaida militants from Iraq.

    “We are used to a Cold War situation between Israel and Syria but what we are seeing along the border now is a situation similar to that of Lebanon or Sinai, where a weak sovereign state is failing to exert its control over an area that different rebel groups can use to attack Israel,” the paper quoted a source as saying.

    The report came after Israel fired at and struck two Syrian mortar launchers on Monday, following the second time in as many days that Syrian artillery shells exploded in Israeli territory.

    A tank from the 401 Armored Brigade fired at the Syrian targets in what was an escalated Israeli retaliation to Syrian fire. Unlike Sunday’s exchange, the IDF fired with the intention of hitting its target, as part of a new policy designed to deter Syrian forces from firing into Israel.

    There were conflicting reports on whether Syrian soldiers were injured in the aftermath. IDF sources said there were no known injuries, though a Channel 2 report claimed that a number of soldiers in Syria were hurt, and broadcast video of a Syrian ambulance sent to evacuate the soldiers.

    The IDF does not believe that Monday’s shell was deliberate, but intensified its response nonetheless in order to send the message to Damascus that the errant shells must stop.

    Content is provided courtesy of the Jerusalem Post


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    7 Comments
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    Reb Yid
    Reb Yid
    11 years ago

    “what we are seeing along the border now is a situation similar to that of Lebanon or Sinai, where a weak sovereign state is failing to exert its control over an area”

    ZING against Egypt, calling them weak like Lebanon! Beautiful!

    DRE53
    DRE53
    11 years ago

    The Golan should now become closed military zone and all citizens should be evacuated.
    The IDF does not appreciate the value of a jewish life and couldn’t care less if ch”v a tragedy happens but I can tell you that it’s just too dangerous to live there.

    11 years ago

    So Al Qeada is now on Israels border. And Israel’s response is to go nuts and overreact to an incident when Syria accidenatly fires mortars into Israel? They clearly had no intention of strating up with Israel. They were simply trying to protect their border. Why are we not protecting Assad? Do we want Al Qeda? The whole thing doesn’t make sense.

    kitniyot
    kitniyot
    11 years ago

    Aren’t the 1200 UN peacekeepers there mandated to expel any armed forces that enter into the buffer zone? Why aren’t they doing their job? “Assad Supporter”, regardless of who the rebels are, Assad does not deserve your support. He has been funding his own set of terrorists for years. The rebels are obviously trying to bait the Syrians into entering the buffer zone – but there were Syrian government tanks rolling through the buffer last week, and so far Yaalon has been saying that the Syrian government is responsible for all this spillover.