Israel strikes Syria armor
An Israeli tank struck a Syrian army vehicle Monday after a mortar shell landed on Israeli territory
It was the first direct confrontation between the countries since the Syrian uprising broke out, sharpening fears that Israel could be drawn into the civil war next door.
Israel has steadfastly tried to avoid getting sucked into the Syrian conflict, but it has grown increasingly worried after a series of mortar shells have struck territory in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights in recent days.
On Sunday, Israel fired a "warning shot" into Syria in response to the shelling.
The conflict has already spilled over into several of Syria s other neighbors whether in direct violence or in the flood of refugees fleeing Syria s bloodshed. On Monday, a Syrian fighter jet bombed a rebel-held area hugging the border with Turkey three times, killing more than a dozen people and bringing a protest from the Turkish government.
Potential Israeli involvement in Syria could be far more explosive. Open hostilities between Israel and Syria could have wide-ranging consequences, dragging in Lebanon s Hezbollah guerrilla group and perhaps Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip on Israel s southern flank.
Israeli military officials say they believe the mortar fire landing in the Golan is not an overt attempt to hit the Jewish state and is likely accidental as Syrian President Bashar Assad s army battle rebel forces trying to oust him.
But Israeli officials have begun to question that assessment and are now exploring whether any of the cross-border fire has been intentional. Israeli officials have long feared that the embattled Assad might try to draw Israel into the fighting in an act of desperation.
"We are closely monitoring what is happening and will respond appropriately. We will not allow our borders to be violated or our citizens to be fired upon," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday in a speech to foreign ambassadors.
