Several incidents have taken place on the Israeli–Syrian ceasefire line during the Syrian Civil War, straining the relations between the countries. The incidents are considered a spillover of the Quneitra Governorate clashes since 2012 and later incidents between Syrian Army and the rebels, ongoing on the Syrian-controlled side of the Golan and the Golan Neutral Zone and the Hezbollah involvement in the Syrian Civil War. Through the incidents, which began in late 2012, as of mid-2014, one Israeli civilian was killed and at least 4 soldiers wounded; on the Syrian-controlled side, it is estimated that at least ten soldiers were killed, as well as two unidentified militants, who were identified near Ein Zivan on Golan Heights.
Timeline Date Events Casualties 25 September 2012 El Rom, Golan Heights: Several errant mortar shells fired by the Syrian army fell in an agricultural land. 26 September 2012 El Rom, Golan Heights: A mortar shell fired from Syrian landed in the same location that was hit in the previous day. 5 November 2012 Golan Heights: An IDF jeep was hit by a bullet from Syria near the Syria-Israel border. No one was injured in the incident, but the vehicle was damaged. An IDF source said that it was errant fire by Syrian rebels. 8 November 2012 Alonei HaBashan, Golan Heights: three mortar shells hit the area. As part of its deployment, Israel deployed obstacles in the border area and reinforced the border fence. Israeli-Druze Deputy Minister, Ayoob Kara, said that opposition elements in Syria acknowledged their responsibility for the mortar shells that fell in the Golan Heights and expressed regret over the incident. 11 November 2012 Tel Hazeka, Golan Heights: A stray mortar shell from Syria's Quneitra Governorate landed near an Israeli military outpost.
Quneitra Governorate: Israel responded with a "warning shot" by firing a single Tamuz anti-tank missile and released a statement warning further retaliation if the attacks persist. The FSA issued a statement, claiming that Israel hit FSA forces that were closing in on Damascus forces and negotiating their surrender, and warned against any further interference in the Syrian conflict in favor of Assad's regime. 12 November 2012 Tel Hazeka, Golan Heights: A stray mortar shell from Syria's Quneitra Governorate landed near an Israeli military outpost.
Quneitra Governorate: IDF's tanks fired on two D-3 mortar launchers belonging to the Syrian army, and confirmed a direct hit on the source of the fire. 17 November 2012 Tel Hazeka, Golan Heights: Syrian Army fire hit an IDF patrol near the DMZ, damaging one jeep; no injuries were reported.
Quneitra Governorate: IDF fired artillery at the Syrian post in response. Israel confirmed a direct hit on the source of fire and said that Syrian soldiers may have been killed by the incident.
Golan Heights: The Syrian Army retaliated by firing an additional mortar shell that landed in the demilitarized zone. 20 November 2012 Tel Hazeka, Golan Heights: An IDF jeep near a military outpost was hit by stray bullets fired from Syria. No Injuries occurred and the IDF did not retaliate. 25 November 2012 Golan Heights: Clashes between rebels and the Syrian army resulted in stray bullets striking near an IDF vehicle driving along the DMZ. No injuries or damage were reported, and Israel did not retaliate. 30 January 2013 Jamraya, Rif Dimashq: Israeli warplanes attacked the military research facility of the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center, which is used for the production or storage of chemical weapons. Two American officials quoted by AP said that Israel targeted a convoy of trucks, presumably containing SA-17 anti-aircraft, that was headed to reach Hezbollah in Lebanon. Syrian state TV and official news agency SANA carried a statement of the Syrian military command, claiming that Israel attacked the site and destroyed the building, killing two workers and injuring five others, but denied that the strike had targeted a convoy headed from Syria to Lebanon. Western diplomats quoted by Iraqi daily Azzaman claimed that the Israeli bombing of the Syrian military facility occurred two days before it was announced by Israeli leaks and that the announcement by international and US agencies about striking a convoy of weapons intended for smuggling near the Lebanese border may have been to camouflage the main objective of the operation, although some trucks were also destroyed in the attack. The Azzaman's sources said that the facility was heavily fortified with experts from Russia and at least 3,000 members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards who had been guarding it for years, and that heavy casualties occurred in the ranks of the Iranian guards in particular. The Azzaman's sources also noted that the Israeli operation was linked to the previous Israeli strike on a Syrian nuclear site in Deir al-Zour a few years ago and that the Israelis may have obtained information on the transfer of materials related to nuclear enrichment of the Iranian nuclear reactor. Satellite images taken a few days after the attack showed a scorched and blackened parking lot at the center, where the arms convoy was apparently hit. A spokesman of the FSA stated that a Revolutionary Guards official, who had come to Syria to supervise the transfer of arms to Lebanon, was killed in that strike. IRGC's spokesman Ramezan Sherif issued a statement blaming Israel for killing him while he was en route from Damascus to Beirut, and identified him as a Revolutionary Guards commander who was also a head of the Iranian Committee for the Reconstruction of Lebanon. 2 civilians killed, 5 injured
1 killed 24 March 2013 Golan Heights: Israeli troops near the border were shot twice in the span of 12 hours by Syrian fire. No Israeli soldiers were hurt in the shooting, though IDF vehicles were hit.
Quneitra Governorate: in retaliation, the IDF fired a Tamuz anti-tank guided missile against a Syrian machine gun nest, confirming a direct hit towards the source of the fire. 2 soldiers wounded 2 April 2013 Mount Peres, Golan Heights: a Syrian mortar landed near the area. There were no reports of injuries or damage.
Tell Hazeka, Golan Heights: An IDF patrol on the border came under light fire from across the border. There were no reports of injuries or damage.
Quneitra Governorate: IDF's tanks hit a Syrian military outpost. The IDF confirmed a direct hit. 12 April 2013 El Rom, Golan Heights: An IDF patrol in the Golan Heights came under artillery and small arms fire from Syrian Army forces. No injuries were reported, but damage was inflicted to an IDF vehicle.
Quneitra Governorate: The IDF returned fire using tanks and Tamuz anti-tank guided missile towards a Syrian army outpost, close to where the patrol came under fire. The IDF claimed a direct hit on the source of the fire. 27 April 2013 Jamraya, Rif Dimashq: The Syrian rebels' military headquarters issued a statement claiming that Israeli wareplanes attacked the military research facility of the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center. 3 May 2013 Damascus: Israeli wareplanes attacked the Damascus International Airport. An Israeli official confirmed to Reuters that Israel is behind the attack. A Western intelligence source quoted by Reuters said that Israel targeted stores of Fateh-110 missiles that were in transit from Iran to Hezbollah.
Al-Ma'atta, Damascus: according to a source in a Syria rebel unit in Damascus, Israel's F-16s attacked three times in Damascus. One of the attacks, he said, was carried out in the town of Al-Ma'atta, west of Damascus. 42 soldiers killed, 100 missing (SOHR claim) 300 soldiers killed (opposition claim) 5 May 2013 Israeli warplanes attacked in and around Mount Qasioun, Al-Hamah, Qudsaya, Al-Sabboura, Jamraya, and al-Dimas, targeting a military facility and an arms depot of the 4th Armoured Division, warehouses of long-range missiles and bases belonging to the 104th and 105th Brigades of the Republican Guard, an ammunition warehouse belonging to the 14th Special Forces Division, a military research facility of the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center, al-Dimas Military Airport, and many others. 15 May 2013 Mount Hermon, Golan Heights: IDF positions were targeted by two mortar rounds that were fired by militants belonging to the "Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni Battalions" of the Free Palestine Movement. This was reportedly done in commemoration of Nakba Day. 21 May 2013 Golan Heights: an Israeli vehicle was hit by Syrian fire.
Quneitra Governorate: Source of the attack was destroyed by Israeli fire. 5 June 2013 Two mortar shells exploded in an open area near the Syrian border in the Golan Heights, south of Majdal-Shams. The IDF investigated whether they fell on the Israeli or Syrian side of the border. 16 June 2013 Mezzeh, Damascus: Huge explosion hit the Mezzeh Military Airport. State-run Syrian News Channel reported that the explosion resulted from an attempt to target the military airport. SOHR claimed that the blast resulted from a car bomb that was detonated at a checkpoint near the airport. The FSA's spokesman Louay Mikdad said that two bombs struck near the airtport, one near a checkpoint near the main door of the airport, and the second near an exterior wall of the airport. Israeli Ynet, however, noted that Syrian media affiliated with the opposition estimated that the explosion was a result of an Israeli attack. One of the opposition members quoted in this context said: "I follow the airport and my house looks at it, and we usually see what is happening there with binoculars, and at some point yesterday armored vehicles entered it, presumably they had a portable radar system, and then was heard a sound of a missile that hit them inside the airport". Another quoted eyewitness said: "I saw the explosion and it was like a volcano, the flames were big and reached the sky, and three seconds later the sound of the explosion was heard, the same sound that was in Qasioun (which was targeted by an Israeli airstrike last May)". 10 soldiers killed, 10 wounded (SOHR claim) 5 July 2013 Safira - Samiyah, Latakia: Explosions hit an arms depot at the Qassi Military Base, which is located near the port of Latakia. The FSA's Supreme Military Council spokesman, Qassim Saadeddine, said that a pre-dawn strike hit Syrian navy barracks of which the FSA's intelligence network had identified as a storage of newly supplied Yakhont anti-ship cruise missiles. Saadeddine added that it was not the FSA who targeted it, as it was beyond the firepower available to them, and suggested it was conducted either by air raid or long-range missiles fired from boats in the Mediterranean, pointing to an Israeli involvement. US officials confirmed to CNN that the strike was carried out by the Israeli Air Force, and that the target was Yakhont missiles. Citing Middle East intelligence sources, Sunday Times claimed that the explosions were the result of a cruise missile fired from the IDF's Dolphin-class submarine, targeting a consignment of 50 Yakhont P-800 missiles. 10–20 soldiers killed 16 July 2013 Golan Heights: Several mortar rounds were fired from Syria and hit across the border, leading to a fire that broke out and ignited in the area where Israeli tanks were reportedly stationed. 17 July 2013 An Israeli army force on a routine patrol along the ceasefire line came under fire and shot back at a group of unidentified suspects on the frontier. There were no injuries among IDF soldiers. 27 July 2013 The Revolutionary Council of the rebels in Quneitra claimed that Israeli warplanes bombed a convoy of missiles on its way from Syria to Lebanon. The Revolutionary Command Council has published on its Facebook page that Israeli Air Force planes bombed Syrian army positions. 17 August 2013 Golan Heights: several Syrian mortar shells exploded in the Golan Heights.