Syria rebels seize crossing near Israeli border, activists say

PanARMENIAN.Net - Rebels seized a UN-operated border crossing on the demilitarized zone linking Israel and Syria on Thursday, June 6 activists said, following heavy clashes between the opposition and President Bashar al-Assad's forces, according to Reuters.

It is the only crossing between the two countries and it was the first time Syrian rebels had managed to take the place. However, it was unclear if they could hold it for long, with fighting still raging in the area.

Israel is worried that the Golan, which it captured from Syria in 1967, will become a springboard for attacks on Israelis by jihadi fighters, who are taking part in the armed struggle against Assad.

"The rebels have seized the crossing near the old city of Quneitra in the occupied Golan Heights," said Rami Abdelrahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

"There are heavy explosions and fierce clashing ongoing in the area," he added.

Alex Shalom, an Israeli farmer from the Golan Heights, said he saw heavy smoke rising from the crossing and Israeli military ambulances evacuating people from the site.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said the area leading to Quneitra had been closed off, but gave no other details on the fighting.

Officials from the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), which operates the base, could not be reached for comment.