Israel will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to Syrian citizens fleeing the war, but will not accept anyone on its territory, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned today.
"We will continue to defend our borders, to provide humanitarian assistance as much as possible, but we will not allow them to enter our territory," he said before the weekly meeting of the Israeli cabinet.
At the same time, he reiterated Israel's demand for the withdrawal of Iranian troops from Syria, which he considers a priority for Israel.
An Israeli army official told reporters that Israel had provided "about 30 tonnes of food, baby food, medical supplies and a lot of clothes" to civilian refugees who had taken refuge on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights after fleeing the fighting. after the attack of the Syrian regime forces in the area of Deraa, in southern Syria.
During the Six Day War in 1967, Israel annexed part of the Golan Heights to the border between the two countries, which are technically still at war. The annexation was never recognized by the international community.
More than 160.000 civilians have fled their homes since Assad's forces and their allies attacked the rebel-held areas of Deraa province on June 19, according to UN figures.
Of those, 20.000 fled to the Syrian-Jordanian border, where they remain trapped after Amman closed the border.
The Israeli official also reiterated that the Israeli army is not entering Syrian territory in the Golan Heights. "We open the fence, place the humanitarian aid and close the fence again." The UN then takes over the management of the aid.
The Israeli announced that six wounded, including four children, were transported from Syria to Israel.
At the same time, the Israeli army announced the deployment of reinforcements in the Israeli Golan Heights "to deal with developments on the other side of the border."
The statement added that "the policy of non-interference in the Syrian conflict remains unchanged, as long as Israeli territorial sovereignty is not challenged and Israeli citizens are not threatened."