Israeli soldiers shoot Syrian civilian attempting to cross border
Published August 5, 2012
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli soldiers shot and injured a Syrian civilian who attempted to breach the border fence into Israel on the Golan Heights.
Several men have tried to enter Israel from Syria in recent weeks.
The soldiers fired warning shots into the air Saturday afternoon as the Syrian man attempted to cut the barbed-wire border fence. When he did not halt his actions, the soldiers fired at and hit his knee.
He was evacuated from the scene by other Syrian civilians, according to reports.
Several Syrian citizens have attempted to cross the border fence from Syria into the southern Golan Heights in recent weeks, as the civil war in Syria, which began nearly a year and a half ago, has intensified.
Tens of thousands of Syrians have fled the country, mostly to Jordan and Turkey, since the revolt against President Bashar Assad began.
In recent weeks, the Israeli military has reinforced the Israel-Syria border fence in the Golan Heights, Haaretz reported.
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