Yaalon warns Syria over border incidents

Vice premier says Damascus has ‘conducted itself appropriately’ in response to recent messages from Jerusalem

Moshe Yaalon (photo credit: Miriam Alster/Flash90)
Moshe Yaalon (photo credit: Miriam Alster/Flash90)

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel will “know how to defend” itself should violence spill across the border from the civil war in neighboring Syria, Vice Premier Moshe Yaalon said Friday.

Yaalon said that Israel has recently conveyed several messages to Syria and Damascus had “conducted itself appropriately.” But in his Twitter message Friday, he said Israel would know how to react if violence was “spreading in our direction.”

In the past week, Israel has seen Syrian mortar rounds and bullets land in Israeli territory and tanks enter a demilitarized zone in the Golan Heights. Israeli security officials believe the incidents have been inadvertent; Jerusalem has not threatened to retaliate.

On Thursday, IDF soldiers detained a 15-year-old Syrian boy after he was caught attempting to cross the border into Israel.

The frontier has remained largely quiet over most of the past four decades.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Most Popular
read more:
If you’d like to comment, join
The Times of Israel Community.
Join The Times of Israel Community
Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Confirm Mail
Thank you! Now check your email
You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.