Israel Defense Forces soldiers opened fire at hundreds of Syrian-Palestinians amassing near Israel's border with Syria on the Golan Heights on Sunday, firing tear gas and other demonstration dispersal weaponry in an attempt to break up the Naksa Day rallies.
Reports by Syrian media claimed that between six and 14 protesters were killed, with 125 others wounded. 500 Syrian-Palestinians were reported to have arrived at the border, hiding from IDF fire in a ditch dug by the army after the Nakba Day protests on May 15, approximately 20 meters from the border fence.
At least four anti-tank mines were reported to have exploded near the Syrian town of Quneitra, injuring many protesters. According to reports, protesters hurling Molotov cocktails led to a fire in the area, which resulted in triggering the mines' explosions.
The IDF has thus far only given a brief response to the reports regarding the protest, saying that the situation is under control and calling the protests a "clear provocation intended to divert attention from what is happening in Syria."
An IDF spokesman did not confirm the reports of casualties, yet said that a dozen protesters were indeed wounded by "controlled fire from commanders on the ground." Soldiers first warned the protesters with loudspeakers and shots in the air, and finally with shots aimed at the protesters' legs.
Senior IDF officials have doubted Syrian TV reports regarding casualties in clashes with Palestinian protesters, saying that the soldiers fired only accurate sniper shots guided by senior officers on the ground. They added that they did not estimate any of the protesters were killed as a result of the fire.
Events began earlier Sunday, as dozens of Syrians amassed near the country's border with Israel, while Israeli security forces braced for possible border clashes with protesters marking Naksa Day, the anniversary of the start of the 1967 Six-Day War.
Initial reports claimed that the protesters had begun to gather at the foot of what is known as "The Hill of Shouting," opposite the Druze Golan town of Majdal Shams.
The IDF Central Command and Southern Command also declared a high alert in case of an outbreak of violence near the West Bank and the Gaza Strip respectively, although the northern border seemed the most likely flashpoint for clashes.
The possibility that refugees will seek to storm the border from the direction of Maroun al-Rass in Lebanon, opposite Moshav Avivim, is considered less likely following the Lebanese army's announcement that the entire area opposite the border with Israel is a closed military zone.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Sunday's cabinet meeting accused "radical elements" of seeking provocations.
"Like any country in the world, Israel has the right and obligation to guard and defend its borders. Therefore my instructions are clear, to act with restraint, but with the required determination," he said earlier this week.