Israel must prevent entry of refugees from Syria to Israel - minister

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel must prevent the entry of refugees fleeing fighting in Syria, a senior member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet said on Friday.

More than 120,000 people in southwestern Syria have been forced to flee since the government launched an offensive to recover the area near the borders with Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, a war monitor said.

"I think we must prevent the entry of refugees from Syria to Israel, in the past we have prevented such cases," Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz told Tel Aviv Radio 102FM in an interview.

(Writing by Ori Lewis; Editing by Catherine Evans)