The regime army has reportedly retaken the only border crossing between Israel and Syria, after rebels had captured it earlier in the day. The crossing in the Golan Heights lies in an UN-controlled demilitarized zone.
Israeli and Syrian opposition sources said on Thursday that the
Syrian army had recaptured the crossing at Quneitra from rebel forces.
A spokesman for the Austrian Defense Ministry had said earlier on
Thursday that the border crossing at Quneitra was captured by Syrian rebels.
Austrian soldiers make up 380 of the 1,000 UN peacekeepers who patrol the
buffer zone between Israel and Syria in the Golan Heights.
Colonel Michael Bauer said that the Austrian troops had withdrawn
into their bunker during the fighting. Austrian Defense Minister Gerald Klug
has cancelled all of other appointments to deal with situation.
Israeli army radio also confirmed that the border crossing had
been briefly captured. Israel has closed off the area and warned local farmers
not to approach the crossing. An Israeli military spokeswoman told the Reuters
news agency that two wounded Syrians had been taken in for treatment at an
Israeli hospital. It's unclear whether they were government soldiers or rebel
fighters.
Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Six Day
War and annexed it, a move not recognized by the international community. UN
peacekeepers have patrolled the area since 1974, after Israel and Syria signed
a ceasefire to end the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
Syria violence spills into Lebanon
The fighting at the border crossing comes a day after the Syrian
government captured the town of Qusair from the rebels, after a 17-day assault.
Qusair lies on a strategic road connecting Damascus to the Mediterranean Coast.
It is also near the Lebanese border.
The Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah intervened in the fighting
there, helping Syrian forces capture the town. The United States condemned the
assault and Hezbollah's role in it.
"The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms
the Assad regime's assault on Qusair, which has killed untold numbers of
civilians and is causing tremendous humanitarian suffering," White House
spokesman Jay Carney said in a press release.
"It is clear that the regime could not contest the
opposition's control of Qusair on its own, and is depending upon Hezbollah and
Iran to do its work for it in Qusair," Carney said.
Meanwhile, the violence in Syria has continued to spill over into
Lebanon. At least 11 rockets were fired from Syria into Lebanon, hitting the
town of Baalbeck in the district of Sharawneh. The area is known to be home to
backers of Hezbollah.
The rocket fire came after Syrian government warplanes bombed
areas in Arsaal in eastern Lebanon.
Two gunmen were also killed near a Lebanese army checkpoint, not
far from Qusair. A security source told the Reuters news agency that one of the
dead gunmen was a Syrian national while the second man had no identification on
him.
Comments About This Article
Please fill the fields below.