Israel's air force attacked on Wednesday morning Syrian army targets in response to an attack on an IDF jeep on Tuesday in the Golan Heights. The IDF targeted military command posts, artillery batteries, and a training base on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights that it said enabled the attack on the jeep on Tuesday that wounded four soldiers. The targets included a military headquarters, artillery batteries and a training base of the Syrian army the IDF said.
Following Israel's retaliatory strike on Syrian army targets on Wednesday, Minister of Defense Moshe Ya'alon said that Israel viewed Syrian President Bashar Assad as the person responsible for what happens in his country"If he [Assad] continues to cooperate with terrorists who seek to harm Israel he will continue to pay a heavy price that he will regret," Ya'alon said."We will continue to act responsibly in order to preserve the security for the citizens of Israel," the defense minister added. An IDF patrol traveling on the Golan Heights near the Syrian border came under attack yesterday, when an explosive device was detonated near the soldiers' jeep. The soldiers had stopped their jeep and were outside of the vehicle when the explosive went off.The soldiers belonged to the IDF's Paratroopers Battalion 202 and one of the three who sustained light-to-moderate wounds was the deputy commander of the battalion. Additionally, another soldier was seriously wounded in the incident.On Tuesday, the IDF stated that Israel told the Syrian government through the UN peacekeeping force in the area that Jerusalem views the attack on the jeep as a grave violation.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said following the incident that the Syrian border has recently seen growing activities by Jihadi and Hezbollah elements. He said his government had successfully maintained quiet on the Syrian front despite that country's civil war and would work decisively to maintain security for Israelis.
Yaakov Lappin contributed to this report.