Syrians detonate bomb against Israeli patrol on Golan border

A roadside bomb was detonated from the Syrian side of the Israel-Syrian border against an IDF jeep during a routine patrol late on Friday. No one was hurt, but the vehicle sustained some light damage.

This is the first roadside bomb attack against an Israeli target since the civil war broke out nearly three years ago. No organization took responsibility for the attack.

Last Monday, a cross-border gun battle erupted near the border town Quneitra. A Syrian soldier shot at a Paratrooper force on the border. The force responded with fire. "A direct hit was confirmed," the Israel Defense Forces said. Defense Ministry officials speculated that the attack was a private initiative of the soldier.

On that same day, a mortar shell fired from Syria exploded in a residential area in Majdal Shams in the northern Golan Heights. No one was wounded and no damage was reported. The IDF said it was most likely an errant shell fired by one of the sides battling in Syria.

In October two Israeli soldiers sustained light injuries when a mortar shell was accidentally fired from Syria. One soldier was hit by shrapnel, the other suffered shock. The IDF responded by firing a missile at the source of the mortar shell. Then too the IDF reported that the target was hit. Israel lodged a complaint against the Syrian violation of the ceasefire agreement with the UN.