“For the better part of 40 years, the Syrian border has been the quietest of Israel’s frontiers. Notwithstanding Israel’s 1973 capture and subsequent annexation of Syrian territory in the Golan and Bashar Assad’s ongoing support for terrorist organizations targeting the Jewish state, the border has been tranquil since the signing of the 1974 armistice. Indeed, the boundary with Syria — a state officially still at war with Israel — has proven even more secure than Israel’s lengthy borders with its nominal peace partners Egypt and Jordan.

But two years into the popular armed revolt against the Assad regime, this de facto peace along the Israeli-Syrian border seems to be in grave danger. Just consider the past few weeks: On March 2, three Syrian mortars landed outside Moshav Ramat Magshimim in the southern Golan Heights. Then on March 6, Syrian rebels kidnapped 21 U.N. peacekeepers patrolling the Golan Heights; they were held for a week prior to their release. On Monday, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Benny Gantz said that “the threat of the situation in Syria spiraling out if control is quite high.” He added: ‘What we have here is a strategic detonator that could blow up at any moment.’

Reports from Syria over the past months have indicated that foreign fighters — from Libya to Jordan to Iraq — have been participating in the rebellion against the Assad regime. Now comes word that Saudi jihadis are joining the rebels’ ranks as well. The presence of so many jihadis, many of whom are reportedly affiliated with al-Qaida and are threatening to continue fighting against Israel after Assad is vanquished, further increases the possibility of a flare-up in the Syrian-Israeli frontier. All of which explains why, in recent days, Israel has increased its military presence along the Golan border. Today, Syria — not Lebanon or Egypt — is likely to be the next flash point for conflict with the Jewish state.”

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