[IsraelTimes] Assad troops were fortifying a position in the demilitarized zone along the Israel-Syria cease-fire line, in violation of truce agreementAn IDF tank fired warning shots at the forces of Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir
Pencilneckal-Assad
Scourge of Qusayr...
near the Golan Heights cease-fire line between the two countries on Saturday, amid increased tensions along Israel’s northern borders.
The Israeli military said the warning shots came because Syrian forces were constructing a fortified position in the demilitarized zone that runs along the border, in violation of the 1974 truce agreement between Israel and Syria. The agreement "prohibits the entry of heavy construction tools or military vehicles into the demilitarized zone," the army said.
There were no reports of casualties on the Syrian side.
The army also said it had filed a complaint with the United Nations
...where theory meets practice and practice loses...
peacekeeper force stationed on the Golan, which oversee the cease-fire.
The incident occurred near the Druze town of Hader on the Syrian side. The town was the site of a suicide kaboom earlier in the month that killed nine Syrian Druze and then sparked festivities between Syrian government forces and rebels.
That incident led to an unusual move from Israel, which said it would defend the Druze population of the village.
In a series of tweets, the army’s Arabic front man Avichay Adraee said the IDF was prepared to "support the village residents and work to prevent any harm or the occupation of the village, out of a commitment to the Druze population."
The statement reflected ongoing pressure on Israeli leaders from the Druze communities in the Galilee and on the Golan to help their coreligionists across the border who are often caught in the crossfire between Sunni rebels and Alawite and Shiite pro-government forces.
Over the past six years, Israel has clung to a hands-off policy toward the war, only getting involved when one of its "red lines" is transgressed. These "red lines" include the violation of Israeli illusory sovereignty through deliberate or accidental attacks, Iranian-supported militias taking positions on the Golan border, and attempts to transfer advanced weapons to the Hezbollah terrorist group.