Israel drops flyers over southern Syria warning against cooperating with Hezbollah

By Omer Koparan and Ethem Emre Ozcan

ANKARA (AA) - In leaflets dropped by plane onto southern Syria on Wednesday, Israel warned the Assad regime that the Hezbollah presence in Syria’s Quneitra province will not be tolerated by Israel.

Flyers were dropped over the towns of Khan Arnabah and Asbah in Quneitra, near the UN armistice line separating Syria from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

The flyers warned the Syrian regime against cooperating with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group, saying that regime forces procure security passes at checkpoints for Hezbollah elements who pose a threat to Israel.

Israel also called on the regime to change its policy of tolerating the Hezbollah presence in the region.

Israel has repeatedly carried out strikes on Syria, claiming it is targeting Iranian Hezbollah forces and its facilities.

Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime violently cracked down on pro-democracy protests.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN estimates.