Israeli military chief warns Syrian front could become unstable, undermining 40 years of quiet

JERUSALEM – Israel's military chief warns 40 years of quiet along the Syrian frontier could be in danger.

Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz says the Syrian civil war could result in "chaos" with violence turned toward Israel.

Speaking Monday to the Institute for National Security Studies, a Tel Aviv think tank, Gantz said the region could "lose its stability" with the fall of President Bashar Assad and a takeover by jihadi elements.

Israel captured the Golan in the 1967 Mideast war. In 40 years since the 1973 war between the countries, the Golan has remained mostly quiet.

In the two years of Syrian civil war, errant fire has landed in the Golan a number of times. Israel believes most of the cases have been accidental, but it has responded nonetheless.