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ISRAEL-SYRIA-CONFLICT-GOLAN-LEAD
Israel strike on ‘terrorists’ near fence in Golan kills seven: army
JERUSALEM, Aug 2, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – An Israeli air strike has killed
seven militants believed to be linked to the Islamic State group and seeking
to infiltrate the country from the Syrian Golan Heights, the army said
Thursday.
The military carried out the strike late Wednesday after the militants
crossed a ceasefire line and came within a few hundred metres of the fence
leading to the Israeli-held Golan Heights, spokesman Jonathan Conricus told
journalists.
An Israeli aircraft “struck those seven suspects, and today in searches
that have been completed on the ground by Israeli troops we found seven
bodies in that location, we found five AK-47 assault rifles, we found
explosive vests as well as what appears to be grenades,” Conricus said.
A Syrian offensive in the country’s south has resulted in IS-affiliated
groups scattering in the area, Conricus said.
Israeli forces monitored the militants’ movements before carrying out
the strike, he said.
“Had they been able to continue, they would have come to the Israeli
security fence,” Conricus said.
He said Israeli forces believed they were “on a terrorist mission” and
“trying to infiltrate into Israel.”
“It did not seem as if they were fleeing, seeking refuge,” Conricus
said. “It seems as if they were moving in a combat formation, with combat
equipment.”
BSS/AFP/IJ/1750 hrs