Israel accuses pro-Assad forces of roadside bomb attack

Israel believes that troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and not global jihad groups fighting against the regime were responsible for targeting an army jeep with a roadside bomb last Friday. A senior Israeli official told Haaretz that the area where the bomb attack took place is controlled by the Syrian Army, not jihadists opposing the government.

According to the newspaper the explosive device exploded near the village of Al-Khader in Syrian territory close to the ceasefire line on the occupied Golan Heights. No casualties were reported, but it has raised concerns in Israel as it is the first time that such an incident has taken place.

Israel has been a target of mortar shells since the civil war broke out in Syria nearly three years ago, but the authorities have always insisted that the attacks were random. Nevertheless, Israeli forces responded on each occasion.