Israeli soldiers wound man near Syrian Golan fence

JERUSALEM: Israeli soldiers shot across the ceasefire line with Syria on the occupied Golan Heights yesterday, wounding a man who approached the boundary fence despite their orders to turn away, military sources said.
The Golan, which Israel seized from Syria in a 1967 war and later annexed, has been largely untouched by the 24-month-old revolt rocking Damascus. But Israel has been on guard for violent spillovers or refugee influxes on the strategic plateau.
The man shot yesterday was hit in the legs after he failed to heed warning shots and orders to back away, an Israeli military source said, adding that he was later evacuated in the direction of Syria by UN peacekeepers on the Golan.
A UN spokesman said he had no information on the incident.
Israeli troops wounded a man under similar circumstances on the Golan in August. They have also repeatedly shelled Syrian army positions across the ceasefire line in response to stray fire from battles between the Syrian troops and rebels nearby.