Special to WorldTribune.com

NICOSIA — The Syrian military has launched air and artillery strikes
on rebel strongholds in the Golan Heights, shared with Israel.

The Syrian assault has sparked an alert in Israel. The Israel Air Force is said to have intensified operations to block any intrusion by Syrian aircraft.

Opposition sources said the military used Russian-origin fighter-jets and helicopters to bomb strongholds in the Quneitra region of the Golan Heights. They said the attacks were the first by the Syrian Air Force since the start of the Sunni revolt in 2011.

“The regime was using the same tactics as in other operations — first air strikes to soften up the targets, followed by infantry assaults,” a source said.

The air strikes on April 18 included rebel strongholds in the Dera province near the border with Jordan. Dera has hosted U.S.-trained fighters sent from the Hashemite kingdom over the last four months.

The sources said they expected the air strikes to intensify and include assaults by the Syrian Army and the Iranian-sponsored Hizbullah. They said about 80 percent of the Golan was under the control of rebel militias.

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