IDF troops shoot, injure Syrian who tries to cross border

IDF forces on Saturday shot a Syrian man who tries to cross into Israel through its northern border.

The would-be infiltrator, who was carrying a pair of wire cutters, was identified during a routine patrol and asked to stop; when he didn’t, the troops on patrol opened fire on him, injuring him in the leg.

The man was evacuated to a Syrian hospital.

Israel Radio quoted a top military official as saying that, as the situation in Syria deteriorates, several Syrian nationals have tried to cross the border in recent weeks, but none has managed to enter Israel.

“Israel will not permit its sovereignty to be compromised,” the official said. The suspect, he added, “may have been attempting to infiltrate a town or gather intelligence.”

Security forces were investigating the incident.