JERUSALEM, Nov 3: Three Syrian tanks entered the demilitarised zone in the Golan Heights on Saturday, prompting Israel to make a complaint to UN peacekeepers, the military said.

The foray would be the first such violation in 40 years and hikes concerns that violence from Syria’s internal conflict could heat up a long-quiet frontier.

Israel’s relatively low-key response of turning to the UN suggested it did not see the Syrian armour as an immediate threat. But the entry marks the most serious spill-over of Syria’s turmoil at the frontier to date.

Misfired Syrian shells have exploded inside Israel on several occasions and a tourist site was temporary shut after armed Syrians were spotted near by recently.

An Israeli military spokeswoman did not elaborate on what the tanks were doing.

The Israeli news site Ynet said the tanks and two armoured personnel carriers drove a few kilometres away from Israeli military positions.

Marco Carminjani, an official with the UN body supervising the zone, said he could not immediately confirm the entry of the tanks. But if the report was true, he said, it would be a violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement between Syria and Israel.

He said it would be the first such move in the zone since the accord.

There was no immediate comment from Syria.—AP