A Syrian woman, who was stranded following a border closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, waits with a child to cross into Iraqi Kurdistan from the Syrian side of the Semalka border crossing in northeast¬ern Syria on Wednesday. A spokesman for the Iraqi Armed Forces stressed the importance and necessity of protecting the border between Syria and Iraq on the same day. Photo: AFP

Israeli soldiers and aircraft fired on and hit a group of four militants laying explosives at a security fence along the Jewish state's border with Syria, its military said Monday.

"Our troops & aircraft fired toward the squad and a hit was identified," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

There were no Israeli casualties from the strike in the southern Golan Heights, IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus said.

Tensions are already high between bitter rivals Israel and Syria.

In July, Israeli army helicopters struck military targets in southern Syria in retaliation for earlier "munitions" fire towards Israel.

Israel did not directly blame Syrian forces for the munitions fire, but said it held the Damascus government responsible.  

Several Israeli media outlets reported that the moves were made in response to an increased threat from the Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah, which has a significant presence in Syria. 

In July, five Iran-backed fighters were killed in an Israeli missile strike south of the Syrian capital, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

AFP