Army top brass tours Syrian border as fighting rages next door

IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot and other top military officers traveled to the Syrian border in order to hear updated assessments from soldiers in the field about the battle raging next door between Syrian dictator Bashar Assad’s forces and rebel groups in the Daraa province, the army says.

“During the visit, the IDF chief of staff held a situational assessment about the fighting in Syria and the preparedness of the Northern Command,” the army says in a statement.

Eisenkot heard from the head of the Northern Command, Maj. Gen. Yoel Strick, and Brig. Gen. Amit Fisher, who commands the 210th Bashan Division, which guards the Syrian border.

“The IDF is tracking what is happening in Syria and is prepared for a variety of scenarios in order to protect the security situation along the border. The IDF will continue to provide humanitarian aid to residents of the area in Syrian territory, and will also prevent the entrance of refugees into the territory of the State of Israel,” the army says.

Eisenkot was joined on his visit by the head of the IDF Operations Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, the head of the IDF Planning Directorate Maj. Gen. Amir Abulafiya and the head of the Military Intelligence’s Research Division Brig. Gen. Dror Shalom.

— Judah Ari Gross

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