UN Peacekeepers in the Golan Wounded by Syrian Fire

In further spillover of violence from the Syrian civil war, two UN soldiers were wounded by mortar fire on Tuesday. 

Two UN soldiers stationed with the peacekeeping force in the Golan Heights in northern Israel were wounded Monday morning by mortars fired from Syria.

Both soldiers, members of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), were evacuated to an Ziv Medical Center in Tzfat (Safed). One was moderately wounded by shrapnel in his chest and hand and has undergone a series of treatments. The second victim, a female soldier, was lightly wounded, a hospital spokesperson stated.

The mortars are assumed to be a spillover from the Syrian civil war.

A similar incident occurred last Tuesday when two mortars slammed into the Golan Heights. The mortars fell into open spaces, causing no damage or injuries.

In both cases, the mortars fell adjacent to the Quneitra area, where Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s army has been battling rebel forces for several months, both vying for control of the region.

The UN mission on the Syrian borders numbers some 800 soldiers hailing from Fiji, India, Ireland, Nepal and the Netherlands. The force was established in 1974 and is tasked with monitoring the ceasefire line on the Golan between Israel and Syria.

By: Max Gelber, United with Israel