An IDF soldier looks into southern Syria from the Israeli side of the border in the Golan Heights. Photo: IDF via Wikimedia Commons.

The Israeli shelling of targets in the Quneitra area on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights earlier this week was a response to Iran’s construction of an observation network intended to gather intelligence on IDF operations, the Hebrew news site Walla reported.

According to the report, the Monday strike was intended to destroy the observation devices and succeeded in doing so.

On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the IDF was behind the operation.

“We act all the time, according to our understanding and need, to prevent Iran … from entrenching itself on our northern border,” Netanyahu said.

The prime minister’s statement was unusual, as Israel has traditionally neither confirmed nor denied such activities.

The observation network was viewed very seriously by the IDF, Walla said, as it was an indication of a strong Iranian presence only a few kilometers from the border, violating a Russian pledge to keep Iranian forces at least 80 kilometers from Israeli territory.

Walla reported that sources in the security establishment stated that the issue would be raised by Netanyahu when he meets Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow next week.