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       JERUSALEM: The Israeli army said on Saturday that its troops were assisting UN peacekeepers in the Syrian-controlled part of the Golan Heights in repelling an attack “by armed individuals”.

       “A short while ago, an attack was carried out by armed individuals at a UN post in the Hader area in Syria,” the Israeli army said in a statement, referring to a town on the edge of the UN-patrolled buffer zone on Golan Heights.

       “The (Israeli) army is currently assisting the UN forces in repelling the attack.”

       There was no immediate comment from the UN force.

       Earlier on Saturday, Syrian rebels took control of the provincial capital of Quneitra, 12 kilometres south of Hader. The Israeli military said that army chief Herzi Halevi visited the Syrian border on Saturday and said his country was “not intervening in events in Syria”, but was “working to thwart and prevent threats in the area”.

       On Friday, the Israeli military said it was “reinforcing aerial and ground forces” in the Israeli-occupied parts of the Golan in response to the situation in Syria. And on Saturday it said it had conducted exercises to ensure troop readiness.

       Published in Dawn, December 8th, 2024