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| An Israeli tank in a firing position in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights overlooking the Syrian village of Bariqa, Monday, Nov. 12, 2012. The Israeli military says "Syrian mobile artillery" was hit after responding to stray mortar fire from its northern neighbor. The incident marked the second straight day that Israel has responded to fire from Syria that does not appear to be aimed at Israeli targets, nonetheless Israel has promised a tough response if the fire continues. |
TEL HAZEKA, Golan Heights (AP) -- Israeli tanks struck a Syrian artillery launcher Monday after a stray mortar shell flew into Israel-held territory, the first direct clash between the neighbors since the Syrian uprising began nearly two years ago.
The confrontation
fueled new fears that the Syrian civil war could drag Israel into the
violence, a scenario with grave consequences for the region. The
fighting has already spilled into Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.
"We
are closely monitoring what is happening and will respond
appropriately. We will not allow our borders to be violated or our
citizens to be fired upon," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said
Monday in a speech to foreign ambassadors.
While
officials believe President Bashar Assad has no interest in picking a
fight with Israel, they fear the embattled Syrian leader may try to draw
Israel into the fighting in a bout of desperation. Israeli officials
believe it is only a matter of time before Syrian rebels topple the
longtime leader.
The conflict has already
spilled over into several of Syria's other neighbors - whether in direct
violence or in the flood of refugees fleeing the bloodshed. More than
36,000 Syrians have been killed in the fighting, according to estimates
by anti-Assad activists.
On Monday, a Syrian
fighter jet bombed a rebel-held area hugging the border with Turkey
three times, killing 15 to 20 people, according to a Turkish official.
Separately, eight wounded Syrians died in Turkey, the official said,
speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to
brief the media.
Potential Israeli involvement
in Syria could be far more explosive. The bitter enemies both possess
air forces, tanks and significant arsenals of missiles and other
weapons.
Although the Israeli military is more
modern and powerful, Syria has a collection of chemical weapons that
could wreak havoc if deployed. Fighting between the countries could also
drag in Syria's close ally, the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah, or
Islamic militant groups in the Gaza Strip on Israel's southern flank.
Israeli
political scientist Dore Gold, an informal adviser to Netanyahu, said
neither Israel nor Syria has any interest in escalating the fighting.
"I
see no indication of Assad wanting to draw Israel in. But if violence
comes from the Syrian army, or even forces operating in Syria that are
affiliated with al-Qaida, Israel has to do what is necessary to make
sure there's no spillover into Israeli territory," he said.
He described Israel's reaction Monday as a "carefully calibrated response."
"On
the one hand, it shows Israel's determination to protect its civilians,
and at the same time, it indicates it doesn't want to get drawn in," he
said.
Israel has warily watched the fighting
in Syria for months, carefully trying to avoid any involvement. It has
found itself in a difficult position as the fighting rages near the
frontier with the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau it captured from
Syria in 1967 and later annexed.
A number of
mortar shells have landed in the Golan in the past week. Early this
month, Syrian tanks accidentally crossed into a buffer zone along the
frontier for the first time in nearly 40 years.
Israel
responded for the first time Sunday, firing what it called a "warning
shot" into Syria after a mortar shell landed near an Israeli military
post. Israel also warned of a tougher response if the attacks persisted.
In
Monday's incident, the military said it reported "direct hits" on a
mobile artillery launcher after another shell struck the Golan. It would
not say whether the launcher belonged to the Syrian army, saying only
it had targeted the "source of fire."
The
Israeli military believes the mortar fire is spillover from internal
fighting in Syria and not aimed at Israel.
But officials say they are
beginning to question that assessment after repeated breaches of the
frontier.
The incident began when Syrian
military units were shelling gunmen in the twin Syrian villages of
Bariqa and Bir Ajam, only several hundred meters (yards) from
Israeli-held territory. An Associated Press photographer on the Golan
side saw gunmen, presumably rebels, running as explosions shook the
village from the shelling by Syrian army mobile artillery visible about a
mile away (2 kilometers).
The rebels fired
back with automatic weapons and then fled, running toward the Golan
border and taking refuge under some trees. A few minutes later, the
rebels made their way back to the village.
Bursts
of artillery fire from the Syrian forces could be heard every few
minutes, and about a half-hour later, the Syrian shell struck the Golan,
making a loud whistling sound before impact less than 100 meters
(yards) from an Israeli position. Israeli forces quickly opened fire,
and a plume of smoke billowed from one of the tanks' guns.
The
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based, anti-Assad group
that relies on a network of activists on the ground in Syria, confirmed
fighting in the area. It said three rebel fighters were killed Monday in
clashes with the Syrian army in Bir Ajam.
The state-run news agency SANA has not reported on the fighting in the area or the clash with Israel.
Israel
has little love for Assad, who has provided refuge and support to
Israel's bitterest enemies through the years. But he and his father
before him have kept the frontier quiet for nearly four decades,
providing a rare source of stability in the volatile region.
Israel
fears Assad may stage an attack if he fears his days are numbered. It
also worries that Syria's chemical weapons could fall into the hands of
Hezbollah or other anti-Israel militants. There also are concerns that
al-Qaida-linked groups battling Assad could turn their focus toward
Israel, or sectarian warfare might send refugees streaming into Israel.
The
aftermath of Egypt's revolution has provided Israel with reason to
worry about its frontier region with Syria: Egypt's Sinai desert on
Israel's southern border has turned even more lawless since longtime
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was ousted in February 2011. Islamic
militants have frequently exploited the situation there to attack
Israel.
The Golan frictions were a potent reminder of how easily the Syrian civil war could explode into a wider regional conflagration.
Syrian
airstrikes on Ras al-Ayn, on the country's northern border, once again
raised tensions with Turkey. Regime forces and rebels have been battling
for days over the town, which is practically adjacent to the border.
Last
week, Syrian rebels overran three security compounds in Ras al-Ayn and
took control of the town, located in Syria's predominantly Kurdish,
oil-producing northeastern province of al-Hasaka. A surge of 11,000
Syrians escaped into Turkey on Friday following the fighting at Ras
al-Ayn.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu, speaking to reporters in Rome, said Ankara had formally
protested the bombings near the border, saying the attacks were
endangering Turkey's security, state-run TRT television reported. He
said Turkey had also reported the incident to NATO allies and to the
U.N. Security Council.
Davutoglu said the
bombings showed that the Syrian regime was attacking its people without
making a distinction between "civilians or military units," according to
TRT.
