The head of Israel's armed forces warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday of "consequences" if fire continues from Syrian territory against Israeli troops in the occupied Golan Heights. "If he disturbs the Golan Heights, he will have to bear the consequences," Lieutenant General Benny Gantz said in an address at Haifa University broadcast on Israeli television. "We cannot and shall not allow the Golan Heights to become a comfort zone for Assad," he said.

Israeli soldiers patrolling the disputed Golan Heights along the border with Syria fired back after coming under fire overnight, an Israeli Defense Forces statement said Tuesday. "Overnight, shots were fired at an IDF patrol on the border in the central Golan Heights, damaging a military vehicle," said a statement on the army's website. No one had been wounded, it added. "In response, IDF forces returned precise fire at the source of the gunfire. They reported a direct hit," the statement added.

Israel's centre-right government will support US efforts to revive peace talks with the Palestinians, despite hardline positions held by ministers and coalition parties, a prominent MP said on Monday. "If (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu goes on the path that US Secretary of State Kerry is encouraging... he will have the full support of... the majority of the parliament," Ofer Shelah, a member of the powerful Yesh Atid party told army radio.

Two projectiles fired from Syria hit Israeli-occupied Mount Hermon on Wednesday morning without causing damage or injuries, an Israeli army spokeswoman told AFP. "There were two explosions on the Israeli side of the Hermon, we are examining the incident," she said. "We believe this was a result of the domestic situation in Syria." The popular site on the Israeli-occupied Golan was initially closed for visitors, but it reopened later in the day, the spokeswoman said, adding that Israel had informed the United Nations force in the region about the incident.