Israeli forces shoot Syrian at border: army

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli forces shot and wounded an armed man who crossed from Syria into the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights on Wednesday, the army said.

Violence along the Israeli-Syrian border is rare and the army said the incident was reported to United Nations forces in the area.

An Israeli army spokesman said it was not immediately clear why the man entered the Golan. Troops shot at the man because he was carrying a gun, the spokesman said.

The man was lightly wounded in the incident and was taken to an Israeli hospital for treatment.

Israel and Syria announced in May that they were conducting indirect peace talks with Turkish mediation.

The previous negotiations collapsed in 2000 after the two sides failed to reach an agreement on the fate of the Golan, Syrian territory that Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.

(Writing by Adam Entous; Editing by Richard Williams)