Israeli–Syrian Ceasefire Line Incidents During the Syrian Civil War

The disengagement arrangements governing the frontier originated in the agreement signed in Geneva on May 31, 1974, following approximately six months of exchanges of fire and negotiations led by U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.[1] The agreement established an Area of Separation in Syrian territory between Lines A and B, where only UNDOF was permitted a military presence.[1] It also established two zones of limited forces and armaments and provided for a United Nations observer force to supervise implementation.[5] Security Council Resolution 350 established UNDOF on the day the agreement was signed.[1]

The Israel–Syria sector remained quiet, without serious incidents, throughout the period covered by a historical account ending in 1999.[5] The Syrian civil war subsequently disrupted the arrangement that had governed the Golan frontier for decades, bringing government forces, opposition groups, and their battles into the vicinity of the separation area and Israeli positions.[1][6] The resulting incidents involved two related but distinct developments: fire and incursions reaching Israeli territory, and fighting or attacks on peacekeepers within UNDOF’s area of operations.[7][8]

Syrian armed forces entered the Area of Separation on March 1, 2012, an action that the Security Council subsequently cited when expressing serious concern about violations in UNDOF’s area of operations.[7] The Council also deplored subsequent shootings at observer teams and emphasized the safety of UN personnel and their unhindered access.[7] A further incursion by Syrian soldiers into the demilitarized zone during fighting in July prompted an Israeli complaint to the United Nations.[8]

The first reported munitions spillover into Israel occurred in September 2012, when several mortars landed on agricultural land in the northern Golan Heights, followed the next day by a rocket in the central Golan.[8] Neither incident caused reported injuries or damage, and the IDF said the mortars appeared to have come from Syrian government forces fighting rebels near the border.[8] In November, the Syrian regime deployed three tanks in the demilitarized zone, prompting the IDF to raise its frontier alert status.[6] Several mortars fired into Israel that month were described as likely accidental; Israel responded with artillery fire at their source in Syria.[4]

In February 2013, a Syrian army tank shell landed near Alonei Habashan, where it was defused without causing Israeli injuries.[4] The shell was believed to have been an errant round from fighting between government forces and rebels.[4] Three Syrian mortars landed outside Moshav Ramat Magshimim in March.[6] That month, Syrian rebels also kidnapped 21 UN peacekeepers patrolling the Golan and held them for a week before releasing them.[6] IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz described the danger posed by Syrian instability as “a strategic detonator that could blow up at any moment.”[6]

Direct shooting incidents accompanied the mortar spillover.[9][10] In early May 2013, heavy machine-gun fire from a Syrian position hit an IDF vehicle in Israeli territory, causing minimal damage and no injuries; an Israeli missile destroyed the firing position, with three Syrian soldiers reported killed.[9] On May 15, two to four rockets were fired toward an IDF position on Mount Hermon, landing below the outpost without injuries or damage.[9] Israeli forces initially considered stray Syrian army or rebel fire before judging that incident intentional, and the attack was attributed to Palestinian terrorists associated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine–General Command.[9]

Later in May, the IDF said light-arms fire had hit a patrol jeep, slightly damaging it, and that a Tamuz missile fired at the source scored a direct hit.[10] The shooting occurred on the third consecutive day of fire at Israeli forces at approximately the same location and time.[10] The IDF reported 12 cross-border shootings toward the Golan in the preceding three months and lodged complaints with UNDOF.[10] In August, several mortars exploded in an Israeli field without injuries or damage; despite describing them as unintended spillover, the IDF fired a Tamuz missile at a Syrian military post and said it destroyed the cannon responsible.[11]

Syrian tanks, light artillery, and mortars were operating near the line during these battles, and Israeli tanks fired on a Syrian army mortar launcher that was engaging rebels in the demilitarized zone.[9] Syrian army movements subsequently began to be coordinated with Israel through UN peacekeepers.[9] After rebels captured the Syrian side of the Quneitra crossing, a Syrian army column of approximately ten tanks sought to retake it.[9] A request for Israeli clearance passed through UNDOF; Israel agreed, and the Syrian army recovered the crossing, then described as the sole crossing connecting the two countries.[9]

Peacekeepers faced repeated attacks during 2013.[12] An attack on June 6 injured two peacekeepers, while fighting on October 1 injured another UNDOF member.[12][13] Syrian Arab Armed Forces fired on vehicles carrying mission personnel on October 15 and November 5.[12] Armed opposition elements fired on and detained four UNDOF personnel on November 1, then fired on a convoy on November 28, injuring UN personnel.[12] The Security Council condemned intense fighting in the Area of Separation and called on all parties to cease military action in UNDOF’s operational area.[12]

On March 18, 2014, a roadside bomb wounded four Israeli soldiers patrolling on the Israeli side of the ceasefire line, one severely.[14] Israel struck Syrian army positions the following day, saying those positions had “aided and abetted” the attack; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also blamed the Syrian military for abetting it.[4][14] Syria reported one soldier killed and seven wounded in the Israeli raid.[14] In June, an anti-tank missile fired from the Syrian side hit a vehicle delivering water to civilian contractors working on Israel’s border fence south of the Quneitra crossing, killing Mohammed Karkara and injuring three others.[15] The IDF described the attack as deliberate and responded with tank fire against nearby Syrian military posts.[15]

Mortar fire from the Syrian–northern Golan border on the evening of July 13, 2014, prompted Israeli artillery fire against army posts; no casualties were reported.[16] As rebels advanced around Quneitra, two Syrian government mortars apparently intended for rebel forces landed in vineyards belonging to Kibbutz Ein Zivan on August 27.[17] Israel struck a Syrian government command facility several hours later.[17] Further mortars landed near the Israeli side of the Quneitra crossing on August 31 and September 1, without reported injuries, as government and opposition forces fought over the crossing.[18]

The August–September 2014 rebel advance transformed conditions for UNDOF.[3] Rebel forces, including al-Nusra Front, took control of most of the Area of Separation and the Quneitra crossing, captured 45 Fijian peacekeepers, and besieged two positions held by Philippine personnel.[3] The surrounded Philippine peacekeepers escaped into Israeli territory.[3] UNDOF abandoned most positions in the separation area and its headquarters at al-Faouar, withdrawing most of its forces to Israel.[3] The IDF opened alternative crossings to sustain UNDOF operations, deliveries, and medical evacuations.[3]

The Security Council condemned intense fighting, increased use of improvised explosive devices, and the deployment of heavy weapons, including tanks, by Syrian government forces and opposition groups during 2014.[19] The captured Fijian personnel were later released, while the Council condemned hostile acts against peacekeepers and reaffirmed the objective of returning UNDOF to its positions when practicable.[20] On September 23, Israel shot down a Syrian fighter aircraft after it mistakenly crossed into Israeli airspace while attempting to block further rebel advances.[21] At that point, Israeli forces and rebel units had not exchanged fire.[21]

In January 2015, following an attack in the Syrian Golan for which Israel was believed responsible, shells were fired from Syrian territory toward Mount Dov.[22] Israel responded against Syrian army troops remaining in the Golan.[22] This exchange was distinct from a Hezbollah anti-tank attack on an IDF convoy at Mount Dov several days later, which killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded seven.[22] In late April, Israeli forces detected four terrorists approaching the fence near Majdal Shams and planting an improvised explosive device apparently intended for Israeli soldiers; an Israeli airstrike killed all four.[4][23] They were identified as Syrian Druze from Khader.[23]

The presence of Islamic State terrorists in the Syrian Golan heightened Israeli alert and tension during 2015, although reporting at that time said they had not fired at Israel.[24] Spillover nevertheless continued from other fighting across the frontier.[24] In September 2016, a shell exploded on the Israeli side hours after a U.S.- and Russia-brokered Syrian ceasefire took effect, causing no reported injuries or damage.[25] It was the fifth such incident in just over a week, during which Israel had struck Syrian army artillery targets or rocket launchers in response to several incidents.[25] Israel said it held the Syrian regime responsible for errant fire regardless of its source.[25]

A particularly sustained period of spillover occurred around Quneitra in June and early July 2017.[26] Ten mortar rounds landed in the Golan on June 24 without injuries, followed by at least three more on June 25.[27] Israel struck Syrian military targets, including tanks, artillery positions, and an ammunition truck; at least two Syrian deaths were reported in connection with the strikes.[28][27] Israel also sent a protest to UNDOF.[29] Netanyahu declared: “We will not tolerate any spillover or trickle whatsoever – neither mortars nor rockets, from any front.”[28]

Reports counted 16 instances of stray fire in one week and approximately 20 incidents during the broader late-June and early-July flare-up, before the Syrian army announced a local ceasefire.[29][26] On July 1, two impacts were identified near the northern Golan security fence approximately an hour apart, without injuries.[30] Israeli forces searched the area, and civilians and workers were moved away from orchards and groves near the crossing.[30] The fighting involved Syrian government forces and jihadist groups near New Quneitra, with Israeli strikes targeting the Syrian mortars and other weapons involved in the spillover.[30]

In October 2017, an American doctor working at an Israeli field clinic was very lightly injured by gunfire that the IDF considered likely errant.[26] Another incident that month involved five projectiles fired toward Israel, three of which landed in open territory in the northern Golan without reported injuries or damage.[31] The IDF struck three Syrian regime artillery positions in response.[31] Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman subsequently attributed that fire to a Hezbollah-linked local cell and described it as deliberate rather than spillover.[31]

The incidents widened to include Iranian-operated aircraft and rockets in 2018.[2] On February 10, an Iranian drone crossed from Syria into Israel and was shot down.[2] Israeli aircraft then attacked its launch equipment at the T4 military base, with four F-16s reported to have struck the launch caravan less than an hour after the incursion.[2][4] Syrian antiaircraft fire downed an Israeli F-16, after which Israel struck further Syrian and Iranian targets.[2] In the broader background, Israeli attacks on Hezbollah weapons-smuggling activity in March 2017 had already prompted a Syrian threat to launch missiles without warning if further strikes occurred.[4]

During the night of May 9–10, 2018, a barrage of Grad and Fajr-5 rockets was fired from Syria toward Israeli military positions in the Golan.[32][33] Four were intercepted by Iron Dome, while the remainder fell in Syria; no Israeli casualties or damage were reported.[32][33] Israel attributed the attack to Iran’s Qods Force and launched a response lasting several hours against approximately 60 Iranian intelligence, logistical, and military targets.[32][33] Targets included intelligence outposts, logistical headquarters, military compounds, weapons depots at Damascus airport, and positions in the demilitarized zone.[33] Syrian air defenses fired at Israeli aircraft, and Israel also struck active Syrian air-defense positions.[32][33]

As Syrian government forces advanced toward the border in summer 2018, further incidents involved the disengagement zone itself.[34] Syrian forces reportedly occupied an abandoned UNDOF post on June 25, despite the prohibition on Syrian and Israeli troops entering the separation area.[4] A mortar subsequently exploded in the buffer zone during fighting between government and opposition forces, prompting an Israeli strike on a Syrian position.[34] Israel described the incident as a violation of the 1974 agreement and said it would hold the Syrian regime responsible for preserving the buffer zone.[34]

On July 11, Israel struck targets in Quneitra after a Syrian drone entered Israeli airspace.[2] On July 24, the Israeli Air Force shot down a Syrian fighter aircraft that had penetrated two kilometers into Israeli airspace; it fell in an Islamic State-controlled enclave.[35] Syrian-regime-affiliated media said the aircraft had been attacking Islamic State targets near Saida.[35] The following day, eyewitnesses reported two projectiles landing in the Sea of Galilee, although police found no remnants and no injuries were reported.[36] Earlier that week, Israel had also fired interceptors toward Syrian missiles.[36]

Syrian government forces recovered the border region in 2018 following an offensive against opposition-held territory.[37] A southwest ceasefire area established by the United States, Russia, and Jordan in July 2017 had covered much of Dar’a province, including territory adjacent to the Golan.[37] After weeks of government airstrikes, artillery, and rocket attacks in July 2018, most opposition forces accepted a surrender agreement and relinquished heavy weapons.[37] Syrian forces raised their flag in Quneitra and began reoccupying the area near the Israeli border while fighting continued.[38]

UNDOF’s return began cautiously before the final government reconquest.[39] The force regained Camp Faouar in September 2017, after its evacuation and looting in 2014, and began infrequent nearby patrols.[39] In August 2018, it began a planned phased return to the disengagement zone.[2] Russian military police established four posts on the Syrian side, along the Bravo line, with Russian officials suggesting the number could increase to eight.[2] Most UNDOF personnel returned from Israel to Syria during 2018 with support from Israel, Syria, and Russia.[39] On October 15, Israel and Syria reopened the Quneitra crossing to UN personnel after four years of closure.[39]

The fighting also produced medical and logistical contacts across the ceasefire line.[3][40] A June 2013 memorandum recorded Israeli emergency treatment for 20 armed opposition members, who were subsequently returned to the Syrian side.[40] A May 2014 dispatch recorded the transfer of 89 wounded people from rebel groups to the IDF, followed by the return of 19 treated people and two deceased individuals.[40] Alongside treatment for Syrians, Israel’s alternative crossings supported UNDOF supplies and medical evacuations after the force lost access to many Syrian-side positions.[3]

UNDOF’s experience demonstrated how the Syrian war disrupted the practical operation of the 1974 arrangements.[1] After the Syrian government lost control of border areas, especially from 2014, monitoring deep inside Syria largely stopped and most peacekeepers moved to Israel or positions close to the border.[1] Both government forces and rebel organizations used the Area of Separation despite its prohibition on armed or military presence other than UNDOF.[1] The restoration of government control and the peacekeepers’ return in 2018 therefore followed several years in which the separation agreement remained the governing framework but its monitoring and territorial restrictions were severely weakened.[1][39]

Israeli responses commonly paired limited retaliation with avoidance of broader intervention in nearby Syrian battles.[41] Syrian artillery firing on rebels sometimes sent stray shells across the fence, to which the IDF generally responded with a single Tammuz missile aimed at the firing position.[41] Israeli forces otherwise refrained from intervention even when fighting occurred close to their positions and Syrian government tanks approached within meters of the border.[41]

Contributors to a 2015 Jewish Review of Books symposium offered related interpretations: Elliott Abrams wrote that military officers regarded the shells and rockets as by-products of Syria’s war rather than attacks on Israel, while Itamar Rabinovich characterized Israel’s involvement as limited skirmishes accompanied by retaliation for every shot across the line.[42] Amos Yadlin described a broader policy of non-intervention, with Israel firing when fired upon and facing provocations involving mortars, rifle rounds, and explosive devices.[42] A 2013 Jerusalem Center analysis similarly characterized Israel’s approach as wait-and-see, while emphasizing retaliation and concern about sophisticated weapons, including chemical or biological weapons, reaching Hezbollah or rebel forces.[43]

Accounts also differ over responsibility and intent in several significant incidents.[10][32] In May 2013, Syria claimed to have destroyed an Israeli vehicle and its occupants, whereas the IDF reported only slight damage to a patrol jeep.[10] For the May 2018 barrage, Israel attributed responsibility to the Qods Force, while Syrian military sources claimed their own forces had conducted the operation.[32] The broader dispute over compliance also encompassed Israeli response fire: criticism of Israeli actions characterized strikes into Syrian territory and other conduct as alleged violations of the disengagement agreement.[1] These disagreements accompanied the documented distinction between presumed accidental spillover, deliberate attacks on Israeli personnel, and Israeli retaliation.[14][25]