Syria says Israel struck army position near Golan Heights

Beirut — The Syrian army says Israeli forces have struck one of its positions near the Golan Heights south of the country.

The army statement said Saturday's shelling by Israeli troops came after Syrian opposition fighters fired mortar rounds that hit an open area in the Israeli-occupied Golan giving the Jewish state a pretext to bomb the army.

The army said the shelling caused material damage without saying if there were casualties.

Saturday's shelling came two days after the Israeli military said it has struck Syria in response to a mortar fired from the territory.

Israel has largely stayed on the sidelines of Syria's civil war.

In one rare incident, Israel this week struck an anti-aircraft battery deep in Syria after it had opened fire on Israeli jets flying over Lebanon.