The Golan Heights. Photo: Twitter.

JNS.org – Errant mortar fire from the Syrian Civil War hit Israel’s Golan Heights on Wednesday during a visit to the area by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The IDF responded to the incident by hitting Syrian government targets.

Netanyahu, who was attending a ceremony marking the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the northern Israeli town of Katzrin, vowed that the Jewish state will never relinquish the Golan Heights. Israel took control of the Golan during the 1967 Six-Day War.

“We are always amazed that there is still someone who says we will return the Golan,” Netanyahu said. “The Golan is ours and the Golan will always be ours. The Golan is ours because it belonged to our forefathers, and because it was taken back by us due to Syrian aggression.”

He added, “Those who fire into our territory will encounter a swift response.”

Errant fire from Syria also hit the Golan Heights last Saturday. The IDF on Tuesday declared an area of the Golan near the Syrian border as a closed military zone, which prohibits civilians from entering the area.

“We are not prepared to accept any amount of fire in the Golan or any other area…we will not allow extremist Islam led by Iran or ISIS to open a front of terror against the state of Israel from the Syrian side on the Golan,” Netanyahu said.