Egypt Daily News – On Friday, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz instructed the Israeli army to raise the state of alert on the Israeli-Syrian border, following a session to assess the situation with Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi.
This comes as the armed opposition factions advance today, Friday, towards the city of Homs, the third largest city in Syria, the day after they took control of the city of Hama, located north of it, as part of a surprise attack against the Syrian army.
Israeli media reported that since yesterday, the Israeli army transferred forces from several units to the 210th Military Division deployed on the border, claiming to be wary of events that might get out of control and lead to battles on the border and an incursion into the Golan settlements.
The Israeli army said in a statement issued today, Friday: “In light of the assessment of the situation that has been taking place since yesterday (Thursday) in the General Staff and the Northern Command, and in light of developments in the internal fighting in Syria, it was decided to strengthen the air and ground forces in the Golan.”
The Israeli army also indicated that its forces are “deploying in the border region, and increasing their ability and readiness, according to various scenarios,” and added that it is “following the events, and is prepared for any scenario in attack and defense, and will not allow any threat near Israel’s borders, and will work to thwart any scenario or threat to the citizens of Israel.”
