Israel reinforced its Syrian frontier on Thursday as fighting between rebels and the embattled regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad intensfied on Thursday.

Israeli troops were put on “very high” alert, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“There are also more planes and more snipers.”

He denied the move was linked to fears that the Golan could be flooded by thousands of Syrian refugees, insisting that Israel would help anyone whose life was in genuine danger.

Last week, following a series of deadly battles that ravaged the capital of Damascus, 30,000 refugees were reported to have escaped the country.

Last week, some 500 Syrian troops and 50 military vehicles violated Israeli territory and briefly enteted the Golan Heights.

Israeli officials have expressed concern that Syria’s chemical and advanced weapons systems could fall into the wrong hands should the Assad regime collapse.

Government forces in Syria took over a week to put down a rebel push into the once-impregnable regime stronghold of Damascus, ultimately employing helicopter gunships to accomplish the task.