On Wednesday night, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) killed seven Islamic State (ISIS) fighters who had penetrated into Israeli territory from Syria. It has been reported that the terrorists entered 650 feet past the “alpha line,” which demarcates Israel’s side of a demilitarized zone. IDF troops who surveyed the area in the morning discovered explosive belts and an AK-47 assault rifle.
According to Israel Army Radio, the gunmen had been en route to an attack on Israel.
Assad regime forces are currently operating in the region to eliminate pockets of rebel resistance after securing their presence along the Israeli border. The rebels opposing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad include ISIS-affiliated forces.
Last night, the IDF tracked 7 armed suspects identified as terrorists most likely affiliated with ISIS. Their movements were tracked in the southern Golan Heights near the area of the triangle of Israel, Jordan, and the DMZ of Syria. An IDF aircraft struck the 7 terrorists pic.twitter.com/ATibSZvL6k
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) August 2, 2018
The border between Syria and Israel has been unusually problematic in the last week or so. Last tuesday, the IDF fired two patriot missiles at a Syrian Sukhoi fighter jet that strayed approximately one mile into Israeli airspace. The Russian-made jet was shot down, crashing in Syria and killing the pilot.
One day later, the IAF destroyed a rocket launcher in Syria after two projectiles landed in the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). The IDF reported the rockets as errant fire from Syrian infighting but some military analysts conjectured that it may have been an intentional attempt by desperate ISIS rebels to draw Israel into the conflict.
Two weeks ago, the IDF completed a large-scale surprise military exercise in the Golan Heights area.The IDF emphasized that the exercise was not tied to current events but was “planned in advance as part of the 2018 training schedule.” The exercise ended Thursday.
The Russian defense ministry announced Thursday, that it will establish eight Russian military police posts on the border between Israel and Syria in order to “prevent provocations.”
