
IDF soldiers shot and killed two armed terrorist gunmen in the Golan Heights on Friday. The men were attempting to sabotage the border fence between Israel and Syria.
The IDF said that troops “opened fire, hits were confirmed” after soldiers spotted the terrorists penetrating Israeli territory. The incident occurred near Kibbutz Ein Zivan in northern Israel.
“A short while ago two armed individuals were identified in the parameter of the border barrier on the Golan Heights, who attempted to sabotage the operational infrastructure in the border. In response to that, we attacked and hit the suspects,” an IDF statement read. “The IDF will continue protecting the border area and prevent terrorist attacks.”
In the face of recent increased aggression along the Israel-Syria border, the IDF has modified orders along the border area. Soldiers have been ordered to immediately fire upon suspected infiltrators rather that identify and warn them, putting their lives in danger.
Earlier this month, four soldiers were seriously injured when a hidden roadside bomb went off under their jeep. The bomb was planted by terrorists who secretly infiltrated Israel via Syria. The soldiers were on their way to investigate a suspicious person along the border fence.
Sources from Hezbollah revealed that the attack was a failed kidnapping attempt of IDF soldiers.
The IAF retaliated for the attack by striking targets in Syria, saying that the Syrian regime “aided and abetted” the attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously stated that the increase in friction along the border with Syria is due to recent infiltration of “jihadists and Hezbollah members” from Syria which he says “poses new challenges.”
In February, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz commented that while Israel’s side of the border was quiet, “underneath the quiet, a storm is raging.”