DAMASCUS: An Israeli attack on a Syrian camp for pro-government forces killed three fighters near the Golan Heights on Sunday, an official from the forces said.
The official told foreign media that two fighters were also wounded in the attack on the Al-Fawwar camp near Quneitra in southwestern Syria, adding that it was unclear whether the damage was inflicted by an air strike or shelling.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group confirmed the early Sunday attack but had no further details.
Israel’s army on Friday said it targeted positions inside Syria in retaliation for mortar fire that hit the northern part of the Golan Heights.
Syria’s official news agency SANA said Israel had struck a Syrian army position in the province of Quneitra on the Golan plateau, “causing damage”. The Syrian government labels rebel groups and militants fighting the regime as ‘terrorists’ and accuses Israel of backing them.
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 two countries are still technically at war, although the border remained largely quiet for decades until 2011 when the Syrian conflict broke out. The Israeli side is hit sporadically by what are usually deemed to be stray rounds, and Israel has recently taken to opening fire in retaliation.
