BICOM

In the first incident of its kind since the outbreak of the violent Syrian conflict almost two years ago, Israeli soldiers aided Syrians wounded by fighting and then transported them to the Ziv Medical Centre in northern Israel.

The seven Syrians made their way across the demilitarized zone on the Golan Heights to the border fence between Israel and Syria. They were detected by a Golani infantry brigade patrol, who summoned army medics to administer treatment. Senior officers then decided that the Syrians should be evacuated to a hospital to receive further medical care. Heavy fighting was reported on Saturday near the Quneitra area, where Israel’s Kol Yisrael radio reported that opposition forces captured a Syrian army tank. However, it remains unclear whether the injured Syrians being treated in Israel were opposition fighters, members of the Syrian army or civilians.

Amos Gilad, an official at Israel’s Defence Ministry confirmed the incident saying, “They asked for humanitarian aid and Israel extended its assistance.” Meanwhile, a spokesman for Ziv Medical Center said the Syrians “are being treated the same as any other patient.” One is in intensive care, two are set to undergo surgery and the other four are in moderate condition. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented yesterday, “We will continue to watch over the border and prevent anyone from crossing it,” apart from “a few isolated and exceptional circumstances – each of which will be weighed on its own merit,” such as this weekend’s incident.

In a separate development, it is widely reported that at least two Hezbollah fighters died in a battle with Syrian opposition forces near the country’s border with Lebanon, indicating direct Hezbollah support for President Assad’s regime.