A map of the Golan Heights border area with surveillance photographs of a Hezbollah terror squad. Photo: IDF Spokesperson’s Office.

The IDF revealed on Tuesday that an attempted sniper attack two weeks ago on Israel’s Golan Heights border with Syria was the work of Hezbollah in collaboration with the Syrian military.

In an announcement on Twitter, the IDF said, “We can confirm that the attack which the IDF thwarted on March 2, 2020 was planned by Hezbollah operatives in cooperation with Syrian Arab Armed Forces (SAAF) from within a SAAF military compound located in the demilitarized buffer zone in the Golan Heights.”

“In the weeks leading up to the Hezbollah-SAAF attack, IDF Field Intelligence identified suspicious activity on the Syrian border with #Israel, such as documenting the area with smartphones, cameras, and wind measurement tools,” the army said.

“When the operational opportunity arose,” the announcement stated, “an IDF helicopter targeted the vehicle belonging to the attack squad.”

“They were targeting IDF troops but what they didn’t know was that IDF troops had been targeting them,” the army said of the terrorists.

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We can confirm that the attack which the IDF thwarted on March 2, 2020 was planned by Hezbollah operatives in cooperation with Syrian Arab Armed Forces (SAAF) from within a SAAF military compound located in the demilitarized buffer zone in the Golan Heights. pic.twitter.com/a1HFZ6GrXV

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 17, 2020

The attempted attack came on the same day as Israel’s third elections in the past year.

The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit commented, “Israel is engaged in a continuing battle against the terrorist organization Hezbollah’s entrenchment on the Golan Heights border and uses various means to thwart attempts at terror attacks against Israel.”

“Israel considers Syria, as the sovereign power, responsible for what is done on its territory,” it said.

Collaboration between Hezbollah and the Syrian army in an attack on Israel is unusual, as Hezbollah usually operates autonomously under Iranian control.