Israel fires 'warning shot' into Syria over border construction

Israel fired a tank shell into Syria as a "warning shot" after the Syrian army was seen building constructions along the border, Israel's military said.

Israel said that by using heavy tools to fortify a military post in the demilitarised zone between the countries, Syria had violated the 1974 Golan Heights ceasefire agreement.

In response to the alleged violation, the military says it complained to the United Nations peacekeeping force stationed in the Golan Heights and fired a tank shell.

Tensions on the border between Israel and Syria have stepped up in recent years, largely due to the involvement of Iran and Hizballah in Syria's war.

Israel's air force claims it has in the past year carried out around 100 strikes against arms convoys belonging to Iran and Hizballah.

The Lebanese militant group is a key backer of Syrian regime President Bashar al-Assad and has fought alongside his troops against rebel forces.

Israel seized 1,200 square kilometres of the Golan Heights from Syria in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community.

The two countries remain technically at war, although before the eruption of the conflict inside Syria in 2011 the armistice line remained largely quiet.