Bomb on Israeli-Syrian border was aimed at IDF patrol

A blast that took place on the Israeli-Syrian border on Friday evening was caused by explosives intended to target the IDF unit that was patrolling the border, the IDF said Saturday.

The explosives were placed on the eastern, or Syrian, side of the border fence.

The attack marked the first deliberate effort since the Syrian civil war began to target an Israeli patrol at the border with explosives.

The explosion occurred Friday evening near an IDF unit that was patrolling the Israeli-Syrian border in the area of Mount Hermon, in the northern Golan Heights.

There were no injuries among the soldiers nor was any damage caused to their vehicle. A larger IDF force was called to the scene to investigate, and remained in the area on Saturday to boost security.

Initial reports indicated that it was unclear whether the explosion was the result of a planned attack. However, on Saturday, the IDF said that the attack had been planned, and that it had been launched from the Syrian side of the border.

As of Saturday afternoon, no group had taken responsibility for the attack.

The IDF has ruled out the possibility of mortar fire from Syria, reported Ynet. Sporadic mortar shells have landed on the Israeli side of the border in recent months, presumed spillover from that country’s nearly three-year-old civil war.

Earlier Friday, Israeli prosecutors filed charges against a Druze resident of the Golan for passing information on IDF movements to Syria. According to the indictment, Rafat Halabi, 28, crossed into Syria three months ago to join the Bashar Assad regime in its fight against opposition rebels.

Yoel Goldman contributed to this report.