Stray bullets from Syria hit IDF vehicle in Golan

IDF issues complaint with UN observer force after latest incident in which Syrian civil war violence hits Israel's border.

By JPOST.COM STAFF, REUTERS
IDF tanks along the Syrian border on Golan Heights 370 (R) (photo credit: Baz Ratner / Reuters)
IDF tanks along the Syrian border on Golan Heights 370 (R)
(photo credit: Baz Ratner / Reuters)
Stray bullets fired from Syria hit an IDF border control vehicle in the Golan Heights on Sunday. No injuries or damage were reported.
The incident was the latest apparent stray firing during gun-battles in Syria between the forces of President Bashar Assad and insurgents who have been fighting a 20-month-long civil war.
The army issued a complaint with the United Nations Observer Force. The UN has a peacekeeping force in the area monitoring a ceasefire in place since the 1970s.
"Gunfire hit a patrol vehicle along the border but caused no damage; a complaint was lodged with the United Nations which is investigating," an army spokeswoman said.
The IDF Spokesperson's Office also confirmed the incident was most likely stray fire from the fighting across the border.
Israel has been on high alert along its northern border as the insurgency throughout Syria has spread to villages and towns nearby. Similar spillovers from fighting have alarmed other neighbors of Syria, including Lebanon and Turkey.
Technically, Syria and Israel are still at war, but the Golan, a strategic plateau, has been largely quiet for decades.
Last week, an IDF soldier was struck by a stray bullet originating from the Syrian side of the border.
The soldier's bulletproof vest prevented serious injury, however he did suffer light wounds in the incident.
The stray bullet marks the forth time in recent days that fire from battles raging between the Syrian military and rebels near the border of Israel crossed the border.
Yaakov Lapin contributed to this report.