ALBAWABA - The Israeli military reported on Saturday that dozens of Israelis, mostly from the Druze community, crossed the border into Syria overnight and fought with Israeli soldiers who were trying to stop them.
An official statement from the IDF said that Israeli troops and Border Police were sent to break up what they called a "violent gathering" near the security fence next to the Syrian town of Majdal Shams in the occupied Golan Heights. A group of people was able to break through the wall and quickly enter Syria. They used violence against army troops, according to the army, and then they went back into Israel about two hours later.
The military made it clear that crossing the line without permission is illegal and puts the safety of both military members and citizens at risk. The statement also said, "The IDF takes any attack on its soldiers very seriously."
There is more and more trouble in southern Syria. In the province of Sweida, deadly fights have broken out between Bedouin groups and Druze forces. Druze villages in Israel have been protesting because of the violence. Many of them have gathered near the border with Syria to show support for their fellow Druze people across the fence.
Earlier in the day, the Syrian president said that all fighting would stop right away in Sweida and that security troops would be sent to the area to keep things calm. It said that any violations would be seen as attacks on national authority and would be punished by the law.
The event across the border happened after a few days of Israeli bombings that hit places in Syria. Israeli officials say the strikes were done to protect Druze communities, but sources in Syria say the attacks have made things even less stable and made it harder to keep the war under control.
