Will Israel Go To War? Airstrikes Hit Syrian Army As ISIS Nears Border, Arab Media Reports

RTSQW0D — Smoke and flame are seen following what witnesses said was an Israeli air strike, east of Gaza City, Oct. 5, 2016. Reuters

Israeli warplanes struck positions held by the Syrian army near Damascus on Wednesday, according to local Arab media, as forces loyal to the jihadist Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, seized territory close to the Israeli-Syrian border.

Using Lebanese airspace, Israeli planes targeted the Syrian army's 3rd Division in the al-Qutayfah district east of Damascus as military forces attempted to transport weapons to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, according to Lebanese media outlet Al Jadeed. No casualties were reported as a result of the strike, according to pan-Arab media outlet Al Mayadeen.

The reported strike comes a week after Hezbollah General Secretary Hassan Nasrallah condemned President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting in Washington, saying the militants did not want another war but would defend themselves if Israel engaged.

Hezbollah, which has enjoyed Iranian support, was formed in the 1980s and played a crucial role in expelling Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon during the country's civil war. The group has routinely clashed with Israel and has supported Syrian President Bashar Assad against various armed opposition groups in the country's six-year civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands of Syrians and displaced millions more. Netanyahu, who officially claims neutrality on the neighboring conflict, acknowledged for the first time in December that Israeli forces were behind previous air strikes on Hezbollah and the Syrian army.

The reported strike came as ISIS-affiliated forces advanced in Syria's southern Golan Heights region. A group known as the Khalid bin Walid Army launched a surprise attack on other opposition forces, taking several villages in the area not far from territory occupied by Israel. Israeli forces took the area after its 1967 war with Syria and other Arab nations, ultimately annexing it in the 1980s without international recognition.

In the first direct clashes between the forces since the conflict began, Israeli soldiers targeted and killed several ISIS militants in the Golan Heights region in November. Israel has also treated wounded Syrian opposition fighters as Tel Aviv has typically viewed powers such as the Syrian government and Hezbollah that are backed by Iran as a greater existential threat.

Assad has accused Israel of colluding with ISIS and other militant groups in Syria, something Tel Aviv has denied.

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