Warning signs that the Syrian civil war may spill into Israel sharpened further Monday night as cross-border gunfire struck a routine Israeli army patrol on the Golan Heights. The worrying incident follows another from Saturday, in which three Syrian tanks entered a demilitarized zone (DMZ) between Israel and Syria, marking the first such violation in 40 years. Though both the stray gunfire and the DMZ intrusion are believed to be related to Syria’s civil war and not to Israeli-Syrian tensions, Israeli officials have sketched out multiple potential scenarios under which either pro-Assad government troops or anti-Assad Salafist rebels might seek tactical or strategic advantage by attacking Israel. Analysts have especially raised concerns that Assad may open a front with Israel so as to divert attention from his attacks on Syrian civilians, while Islamists may hijack Syrian’s chemical or biological arsenal for use against the Jewish State.

[Photo: Julo / Wikimedia]