Mortar shell explodes on Golan Heights, two soldiers lightly wounded

IDF identifies source of fire, destroys Syrian cannon; army says mortar was fallout from Syrian fighting near border.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
Golan border Syria truck 370 (photo credit: REUTERS/Baz Ratner)
Golan border Syria truck 370
(photo credit: REUTERS/Baz Ratner)
A mortar shell fired from Syrian territory exploded near an IDF post on the Golan Heights on Wednesday, wounding two soldiers.
One soldier sustained light injuries from shrapnel and the second suffered severe shock. Both men were evacuated to the hospital.
The IDF identified a Syrian army mortar responsible for the attack and destroyed it in cross-border fire.
According to assessments in the Northern Command, the Syrian shell was a stray, fired in the midst of intense battles raging in the area between forces loyal to President Bashar Assad and rebels.
Last week, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon stressed that Israel would retaliate against every instance of fire from Syria in which the attacker was identified.
“We destroy every source of fire that we identify shooting at our territory, deliberately or not,” he said.
Commenting on the situation in Syria, Ya’alon added last week that Assad agreed to cooperate on chemical disarmament in order to survive.
“Does he plan to disband all of his chemical arms? Time will tell. We are of course following this and we hope that through diplomacy, Syria will give up its chemical weapons,” Ya’alon said. “On the other hand, we’ll prepare [for all eventualities] and we’re viewing this with suspicion.”
Around 1 a.m. on Wednesday, terrorists in Gaza fired a rocket at southern Israel. The projectile fell on the Israeli side of the border, very near the security fence, in the general vicinity of Kissufim. An IDF spokeswoman said there were no injuries or damages.