The Islamic State terrorist group launched an attack on Israeli soldiers in the Golan Heights and later "apologised" for targeting them, Israel's former defence minister Moshe Ya'alon has said.
"There was one case recently where Daesh (the ISIS terror group's Arabic nickname) opened fire and apologised," Ya'alon said speaking at an event in the northern city of Alufa.
He was apparently referring to a clash that took place near the Syrian border last November, in which Israeli troops exchanged fire with members of the Islamic State affiliate, the Times of Israel reported.
After a brief gun battle, the Israeli military attacked the terrorist group with airstrikes and tank fire, killing four fighters, it said.
This was the first direct encounter between Israeli forces and ISIS militants after the terror group opened fire on a military patrol on the Israeli side, a military spokesman said at the time.
Khalid ibn al-Walid Army, which affiliated itself with ISIS in May 2016, seized territory including a large town and several villages on the Syrian border with Israel in February.
Israel and much of the Western world considers the Khalid ibn al-Walid Army, to be a terrorist group. Communication with them is technically illegal under Israeli law, constituting contact with an enemy agent, the paper said.
A spokesperson for Ya'alon refused to elaborate on how ISIS expressed its apology to Israel after the attack. The Israel Defense Forces also refused to comment on the issue, the report said.
Syrian officials have accused Israel of directly aiding the ISIS and other militant groups, a claim Jerusalem denies.
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