Syrian bombs land in Israeli orchard

2012-09-25 13:03

(File, AP)

Jerusalem - Mortar rounds fired from Syria hit the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Tuesday in a spill-over from the conflict in the Arab country.

The Israeli army said the rounds landed harmlessly in an orchard and were not aimed at Israelis.

Israel had lodged a complaint with the United Nations observer force that monitors the de facto truce between the two countries, a military spokesperson said.

A source in the area said the orchard belonged to an Israeli agricultural community which lies close to Syrian villages where fighting has flared between Syrian rebels and forces loyal to President Bashar Assad.

The rounds were apparently fired at the Syrian village of Jubata Al Khashab in response to rebel activity in the area, Israeli media said. A similar incident occurred in the same area on 23 July, the army said.

Israel captured the Golan Heights during the 1967 Middle East War and annexed the area in 1981, in a move that was not recognised internationally.

The Israeli military staged an exercise on the Golan Heights last week to test its battle readiness amid tensions over Iran's nuclear programme and the civil war in Syria.

- Reuters