JERUSALEM: Israeli forces fired on Syrian regime positions after projectiles from the war-torn country hit the occupied Golan Heights on Sunday, the army said, in the second such exchange in two days.

The military “targeted two artillery positions and an ammunitions truck belonging to the Syrian regime,” a statement read, noting the army had also ordered Israelis to keep away from open areas near Quneitra, where internal fighting was heavy.

Hours earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the Syrian spillover and Israeli retaliation that took place on Saturday and reportedly resulted in the death of two Syrian soldiers.

“We will not tolerate any spillover or trickle whatsoever — neither mortars nor rockets, from any front. We will respond strongly to any attack on our territory or our citizens,” Netanyahu said at the start of a cabinet meeting.

Israel has conducted multiple air strikes in Syria since that country’s civil war erupted in 2011, most of which it has said targeted arms convoys or warehouses of its Lebanese arch-foe Hezbollah, which is a key supporter of the Syrian regime.

“We also view with utmost gravity Iran’s attempts to establish itself militarily in Syria as well as its attempts to arm Hezbollah — via Syria and Lebanon — with advanced weaponry,” Netanyahu said on Sunday.

Israel seized 1,200 square kilometres of the Golan from Syria in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community. Around 510 square kilometres of the Golan are under Syrian control.

The Israeli side of the Golan Heights has been hit sporadically by what is thought to be stray fire from fighting between forces loyal to Syria’s government and rebels. Syria and Israel are still technically at war.—AFP

Car bomb in Idlib province kills 10

A car bomb killed 10 people in rebel-held Idlib province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, reported on Sunday.

The attack occurred in a market in the town of al-Dana, located in the north of the province near the border with Turkey, according to the Observatory.

Three people under 18 were among the dead and the blast also injured at least 30 other people, it said. Another bombing in the town after midnight on Friday killed two people, it added.

Rebel groups in Idlib province have been sporadically fighting each other since early this year. Rebels have also accused the militant Islamic State group of carrying out attacks in the area.

Idlib province is a major stronghold of rebels in Syria and is situated along the border with Turkey, one of the main backers of their rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad.

Large numbers of fighters, along with their relatives and many other civilians, have moved into the area under amnesty after surrendering to the army in other parts of Syria.

The United Nations and aid agencies have voiced concern about the humanitarian situation in Idlib, where large numbers of people live in poor conditions and face aerial bombardment.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2017