TEL AVIV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th July, 2020) Israel's armed forces are further stepping up security measures on the northern border on the heels of an escalation that was unfolding on the frontier with Lebanon and Syria the past few days, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Friday.
On Thursday, Sputnik has learned from Lebanon's Hezbollah paramilitary group that one of its members was killed as a result of what it believed was an Israeli airstrike in the south of Damascus, the capital of Syria, located northward across the border from the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. The IDF refused to comment on reports that the Syrian air defenses repelled the attack. However, on Thursday, the Israeli military said that it had boosted the presence alongside the northern border with Lebanon in anticipation of Hezbollah's possible retaliation.
"In accordance with the situation assessment and defense plan of the Northern Command, changes will be applied to the positioning of IDF units in the military and civilian districts in order to reinforce security along the northern border," the fresh IDF statement read.
The changes will include, among other things, blockage of military and civilian roads in the area and opening of temporary alternative routes, according to the press release. The military said it was "bracing for various scenarios" and "carrying out continuous assessment of the situation."
"We will continue the deployment in order to protect our people and do what it takes. Aside from deploying additional troops along the border, we make every effort to minimize the consequences for the civilian everyday life in Israel's north trying not to disrupt tourism and agriculture," Israeli Northern Command chief Amir Baram said at a meeting with local authorities, as quoted in the statement.
Israel established military control over the Golan Heights in 1967 and annexed it in 1981, albeit the annexation was never recognized by the United Nations. The Golan Heights is widely seen as an exceptionally important strategic area, chiefly due to the fact that it offers a clear view on both Syria and Israel.
Last March, US President Donald Trump declared endorsement of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
