Israeli Teen Killed By Explosives Fired From Syria

Image by Getty Images

By JTA June 22, 2014

An Israeli teen was killed and at least two other people were injured near the border fence in the Golan Heights when their vehicle was hit with explosives fired from Syria.

The Israel Defense Forces responded with tank fire across the border at Syrian military positions.

It is believed that the attack was intentional, the IDF spokesman said in a tweet. “The explosion is the most serious attack against Israel in recent months,” the spokesman said.

The boy, 13, reportedly came to work with his father, a civilian employee of Israel’s Defense Ministry who was working to strengthen the border fence. The teen was later identified as Mohammed Karaka.

The car, in which three other contractors also were riding, was a Ministry of Defense vehicle.

It reportedly is the first Israeli death reported in the border area since the start of Syria’s civil war three years ago.

The Syrian side of the border is controlled by the Syrian rebels thought it is not known who perpetrated the attack, Haaretz reported citing an unnamed high-ranking IDF official.

The army currently is investigating the attack, including the cause of the explosion, believed to be either the firing of a mortar or the activation of an explosive device.

In March, the Israeli army bombed Syrian military targets after four soldiers were injured in a roadside bomb attack. Earlier this month, the Iron Dome anti-missile system discharged after two mortars from Syria were fired at Israel. In the past several months, several explosives also have landed in northern Israel from Syria as a result of spillover from the civil war.

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