The seven-week Gaza conflict halted last night, but now Israel faces attacks on another front after Al-Qaeda's Syrian wing the Nusra Front and the Western-backed Free Syrian Army seized control of the crossing between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. It was a fierce battle with President Bashar Assad's forces that left 20 government soldiers and four rebels dead, and an Israeli officer wounded. The capture of the Quneitra crossing on Syria's de facto border in the Golan - the only official crossing between Syria and Israel - held more symbolic value than strategic, but rebels said it would provide relief to nearby villages that were under siege by government troops.
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Al-Qaeda's Syrian wing the Nusra Front seized the Quneitra crossing after heavy clashes with government forces
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It's the only official crossing between Syria and Israel, holding symbolic, rather than strategic, value for the rebels
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The aggressive terrorist group was helped by the Western-backed Free Syrian Army
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The fight to take the post left 20 government soldiers, loyal to President Bashar Assad, and four rebels dead
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An Israeli officer was left injured by stray mortar fire, according to an official, with the IDF returning fire
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Meanwhile Palestinian civilians have begun returning to their homes, many of which have been destroyed
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Both Palestinian factions and the Israeli government have been claiming victory following the two-month long conflict
Since the @placeholder conflict erupted in 2011, the plateau has been tense, with a growing number of rockets and mortar rounds hitting the Israeli side, mostly stray, prompting occasional armed responses.