The Israeli army attacked Syrian government artillery on Saturday after fire across the armistice line hit the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and warned it would step up such retaliation in the future. The Syrian government controls only party of the territory on the other side of the line, with the rest in the hands of rebel groups, one of them affiliated to the Islamic State group.
But the Israeli army said it would retaliate against the Syrian army, regardless of who was responsible for any fire and of whether it was intentional or not. The Syrian defence ministry said that rebels had deliberately fired the rounds into Israeli-held territory to provoke the response against its forces. The Israeli army said it identified four hits from five rounds launched at the northern Golan. It reported no casualties or damage.
"In response to the projectiles that hit Israel, the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) targeted three artillery cannons of the Syrian regime in the Syrian Golan Heights," it said. "Any future occurrences will force the IDF to intensify its response," the army said, adding that it held "the Syrian regime accountable for any aggression from within its territory."
The Syrian defence ministry said the Israeli riposte had targeted one of its positions near the armistice line in Quneitra province, causing "material damage". It reported no casualties. "The terrorists, acting at the behest of Israel, shelled empty ground to provide a pretext for this aggression," the ministry added.
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