IDF troops prepare for possible incursion into Syria
Military assessments foresee possible infiltration of terrorists with heavy weapons, rebel takeover of Druze village; IDF posts video documenting elimination of four Druze who laid explosives on border fence last April.
The IDF has already prepared plans to attack Syria in light of a recent military assessment that Iran has opened a new front against Israel on the Golan Heights.
Military exercises in the area over the last two weeks have focused primarily on a scenario of offensive operations inside Syrian territory in response to possible action from the Syrian border such as the infiltration of dozens of terrorists armed with anti-tank weapons, machine guns, grenades and light weapons into one of the communities along the border.
The exercises included possible IDF responses to such infiltrations with troops firing at fixed points on the Syrian side of the border. Simultaneously, officials expect a barrage of mortar bombs to be fired at communities in the Golan Heights during such a scenario.
Commanders in the field put theoretical defensive plans into action using aircraft and combat helicopters alongside tank-fire, artillery guns and even hundreds of reserve fighters who participated in the exercise.
The Northern Command estimates that despite the relative quiet on the Golan Heights, strategists suggest it is quite possible an errant jihadist organization pushed into a corner by Assad's army, or by competing organizations, could try to carry out an attack in Israel in order to draw it over the border, into Syria's civil war.
In light of this concern, the main jihadist organization in the Syrian Golan, Nusra Front, who hitherto has not fired a single shot toward Israel, may try to do so in the future.
Hezbollah – not only in Lebanon
The Northern Command does not believe the escalation will necessarily occur in the near future, but hope to be a few steps ahead in accordance with Northern Command Chief Aviv Kochavi’s new outlook. According to his perception, Hezbollah command's focus over the past decade has become broader and concerns not only Lebanon but also Syria, with emphasis on the terrorist organizations operating there.
The Syrian army now controls only two enclaves in the Golan Heights: the Quneitra area which leads to Damascus, in the center-north of the Heights and the Druze village Hader at the foot of Mount Hermon.
The remaining border areas are in the control of rebel groups, primarily Nusra Front, whereas Hezbollah militants are not operating near the border fence as most of them have left the Golan Heights in recent months to reinforce their postions on the Syria-Lebanon border, but hundreds still remain deep in the Golan Heights.
Regarding Islamic State, they have begun to move their focus from north and eastern Syria to the south during the past few months. They are still far from the border fence and are 70 kilometers from Israel in the Druze mountains.
With respect to the Druze, The Northern Command has drawn up plans to deal with a situation in which rebels try to occupy the Druze village of Hader. Many of the 12,000 inhabitants have relatives in Israeli Druze villages. The plans include Israel assistance and messages regarding these plans have already been sent to the various rebel groups.
New video shows elimination of terrorists on Israeli-Syrian border
Meanwhile, the IDF released new footage Sunday, depicting the precision bombing that killed four Druze who tried to plant explosive devices along the boarder fence dividing Israel and Syria.
On April 26, 2015, a little after 9pm, IDF soldiers in their observation post identified the four individuals approaching the border fence, equipped with backpacks which later proved to contain four explosive devices. They quickly sent troops to the scene fired at them. A combination of firepower and intelligence led to an accurate attack and elimination of the individuals within minutes of certain identification.
The four terrorists, Syrian Druze from the village of Hader, were eliminated when they tried to deploy the devices at three locations along the border fence, near Majdal Shams. The area represents one of the Assad regime’s last two remaining enclaves in the Syrian Golan. According to the IDF, Hezbollah and Iran took advantage of this in order to draft four of the Assad supporters, suppling them with explosive projectiles and sending them to the Israeli border.
The goal was to deliver a serious blow to the IDF's ground forces patrolling in the area.
