Suspecting Military Post Activity On The Border Of The Golan Heights, Israeli Tanks Fire Warning Shots

JAKARTA - Israeli tanks opened fire on a number of suspects at military posts near the border with Syria on Wednesday evening, the military said.

During a military operation across the border fence in the central Golan Heights, which is still part of Israel's territory, troops identified a number of suspects near where the troops were operating, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.

"The army said the suspects were seen guarding the 'military post,' without elaborating, citing The Times Of Israel January 6.

A moment later, Israeli military forces fired flares and warning shots, which caused the suspects to flee the area, the IDF added.

According to Syria's Sham FM radio station, a number of sites in the village of al-Hurriyah in the Quneitra region were attacked by IDF tanks.

The station, as well as Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV, said Israeli helicopters and other aircraft hovered overhead during the attack. However, there were no reports of casualties in the incident, on either side.

Separately, a Syrian journalist from the area claimed the sites belonged to Iran or Iranian-backed groups. This cannot be independently verified.

Israel has carried out hundreds of attacks in Syria in recent years. Most targeted Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah forces, as well as Syrian government forces. The military says it has hit dozens of targets by 2021.

Apart from that, Israel has also reportedly carried out several attacks along the border targeting Hezbollah and Iran's attempts to entrench in the country.

Israel says it is trying to prevent Iran, which has been a key ally of the Syrian government in its decade-long civil war, from gaining a permanent military foothold on its doorstep.

The Golan Heights is a strategic plateau, captured by Israel from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War.