Rocket alert sounds on Golan in false alarm
Local residents report hearing explosions, but IDF finds no impact sites in Israeli territory
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Alerts warning of an incoming rocket attack sounded on Wednesday morning on the Golan Heights amid ongoing fighting between Syrian rebels and government forces near the border with Israel.
The sirens were heard in the area of the Alonei Habashan, Ein Zivan, and Keshet communities.
Local residents reported hearing explosions, but it wasn’t immediately clear if the sounds came from inside Israel or on the Syrian side of the border. The army swept the area but found no missile hits.
In the past, stray rockets, shells, and other rounds have hit the Israeli Golan Heights, prompting the IDF on some occasions to fire back at the launch sites.
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The IDF on Tuesday declared an area near the northeastern border of the Israeli Golan Heights adjacent to Syria a closed military zone, limiting access to residents of the area only. The order was lifted several hours later.
Security sources said the order wasn’t due to the violence on the Syrian side of the border, but rather aimed to prevent access on the Israeli side, where Druze have said they would cross the border to protect their brethren in Syria.
Israel’s army spokesman Brigadier General Moti Almoz had earlier declared the situation in the northern Golan “quiet” and under “full control.”
Israel pledged Tuesday to protect any refugees who crossed the border after a rebel offensive in Syria and Islamist violence there raised fears for the Druze minority’s safety.
The Times of Israel Community.