Syrian civilians approach Israeli frontier fence in Golan Heights

Dozens of people walked on Tuesday from Syrian refugee encampments on the Golan Heights to Israel's nearby frontier fence, where they stopped some 200 metres (yards) away and were ordered by an Israeli soldier to turn back.

"You are on the border of the State of Israel. Go back, we don't want to hurt you," the soldier shouted in Arabic through a loudspeaker at the crowd, live Reuters TV footage showed.

The Syrian army is pressing a Russian-backed offensive against oppositions in the area.

"Go back before something bad happens. If you want us to be able to help you, go back," an Israeli army officer on the Israeli side of a frontier fence told the crowd in Arabic through a megaphone. "Get a move on."

A witness on the Syrian side of the frontier said people were seeking shelter wherever they could as the offensive drew closer to their location.

The Syrians who approached the frontier fence stopped some 200 metres (yards) away, before an Israeli soldier told them to leave.

"You are on the border of the State of Israel. Go back, we don't want to hurt you," the soldier shouted in Arabic through a loudspeaker at the crowd, live Reuters TV footage showed.

The crowd, which included women and children, then walked back slowly towards the refugee encampment. Some stopped mid-way and waved white cloths in the direction of the Israeli frontier.