Catch a glimpse of the black banners of jihad, with al-Qaida linked fighters now in control of swathes of the demilitarized zone on the Israeli/Syrian border.
Israeli tourists are traveling to the Golan Heights to tour the border region.
Rebels groups including the jihadist group Jabhat al Nusra (al-Nusra Front) have pushed Syrian government forces from the area, which for years was an internationally monitored buffer zone between the Syrian and Israeli military after the 1973 conflict between the countries.
A tourism of a different caliber get visitors to watch the feared militants across the border from viewing points on the heights. Exciting photo opportunities come up when smoke can be seen rising from villages where combat rages, and militants spotted in jeeps emblazoned with jihadist insignia.
Mortars and tank shells have struck kibbutz settlements near the border, and on Tuesday a Syrian air force jet was shot down after it strayed into Israeli air space.
On the Israeli side of the border are many Druze, a Muslim minority sect loyal to president Assad, which al-Nusra regards as heretical.
They fear for the safety of relatives and members of the community across the border should rebels regain complete control of the border region.
Experts said that it was a matter of time before jihadist groups in Syria started deliberately targeting Israel.
WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE:
- Rebels groups including the jihadist group Jabhat al Nusra (al-Nusra Front) have pushed Syrian government forces from the area, which for years was an internationally monitored buffer zone between the Syrian and Israeli military after the 1973 conflict between the countries.
- A tourism of a different caliber get visitors to watch the feared militants across the border from viewing points on the heights.
- Catch a glimpse of the black banners of jihad, with al-Qaida linked fighters now in control of swathes of the demilitarized zone on the Israeli/Syrian border.
