Israeli army chief visits Golan Heights amid expanded occupation
Israel's newly appointed armed forces chief, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir visits the Western Wall in the old city of Jerusalem on March 5, 2025. (AFP Photo)
Israeli Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir toured the heart of what Israel refers to as the “area of separation” in occupied Syrian territory on Sunday.
“The Chief of the General Staff, Eyal Zamir, visited and conducted a situational assessment in the Area of Separation in Syria today,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
The statement added that Zamir was accompanied by the Commanding Officer of the Northern Command, Ori Gordin, the Commanding Officer of the 210th Division, Brig. Gen. Yair Peli, and additional commanders.
Israel has repeatedly emphasized through statements from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz that it intends to remain in the so-called “area of separation” in Syria for an indefinite period.
During the June 1967 Six-Day War, Israel occupied most of the Golan Heights in southwestern Syria, including parts of Mount Hermon’s slopes, and later annexed it in 1981—a move not recognized by the United Nations.
Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on Dec. 8, 2024, Israel seized the opportunity to occupy the demilitarized zone in the Golan Heights and the strategic Mount Hermon area, announcing the collapse of the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement with Syria. This action has been widely rejected by Syria, the Arab world and the international community.
Israel’s military has also carried out hundreds of airstrikes, destroying aircraft, missiles and air defense systems at multiple military sites across Syria.
After the fall of the Assad regime, Israel expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarized buffer zone, a move that violated the 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria. It also intensified airstrikes targeting Syrian military positions across the country.
Israel’s recent military advances in the Golan Heights have drawn condemnation from the UN and several Arab nations.
Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party’s regime, which had been in power since 1963.
