Israel envoy urges UN action to stop fire from Syria

Israel will not stand by while its citizens’ lives are in danger, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor warned in an urgent letter to the UN Security Council Monday, following a weekend that saw three mortars fired from Syria land in the southern Golan Heights.

“Up until now, Israel has displayed restraint. You must act before things deteriorate,” wrote Prosor, adding that the cross-border fire constituted a violation of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Syria and had potential to stir up the already restive region.

The Saturday incident that saw mortars land near moshav Ramat Magshimim was the deepest and southernmost penetration of Syrian fire into Israeli territory in years. IDF officials believed it to be a case of errant fire. The mortar fire caused no injuries or damage.

Israel promptly filed a complaint with the UN observer force stationed on the Israeli-Syrian border.

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On Wednesday, a tank shell from Syria landed in the central Golan community of Alonei Habashan.

No damage was reported in that incident, either. The shell, believed to have been an errant shot from a battle between Syrian government forces and rebels, landed in an open area and did not explode. Sappers later disarmed it.

On January 30, foreign media reported Israeli warplanes attacked a target inside Syria close to the Lebanese-Syrian border. Most sources indicated the target was a weapons convoy that was set to bring anti-aircraft defense systems and other weaponry to Hezbollah.

Syria maintained that Israel had bombed a “scientific research center,” and released footage purporting to show the damaged facility.