Israel to occupy Syrian territory, Israeli army radio announces
An Israeli soldier arranges gear atop an army tank deployed in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights around the demilitarised buffer zone in southwest Syria after Damascus fell to rebel forces, December 8, 2024. (AFP Photo)
Israel‘s cabinet has decided to occupy the Syrian side of Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights and establish a buffer zone, according to a report by Israeli Army Radio on Sunday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that he has instructed the Israeli army to seize the demilitarized buffer zone on the Syrian border following the overthrow of Assad regime in Damascus.
Earlier, the Israeli army confirmed it was deploying forces to the buffer zone between Israel and Syria, though it has not provided details on the specific deployments.
The move comes amid heightened tensions in the region, with the Israeli military boosting its presence along the northern border.
‘Disengagement agreement collapsed,’ says Netanyahu
Netanyahu stated that a decades-old “disengagement agreement” between Israel and Syria has “collapsed” after Syrian forces abandoned their positions in the region.
“I directed the Israeli army yesterday to seize the buffer zone and the commanding positions nearby,” Netanyahu said during a visit to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. “We will not allow any hostile force to establish itself on our border.”
Israeli army also indicated that Israeli forces had entered the U.N.-patrolled buffer zone to assist peacekeepers following an attack by unidentified armed individuals.
A military statement said forces would “continue to operate as long as necessary in order to preserve the buffer zone and defend Israel,” stressing that Israel is not interfering in Syria’s internal conflict.
The Golan Heights, a strategically significant area, has been a point of contention between Israel and Syria for decades. Israel captured the territory from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it, a move not internationally recognized.
Israeli airstrike targets arms depot in Quneitra
Reports also surfaced of an Israeli airstrike on an arms depot in Quneitra, though the Israeli military declined to comment.
Schools in the northern Golan Heights have shifted to online learning, with certain agricultural lands declared a “closed military zone.”
Meanwhile, Israel army imposed a curfew for residents of five Syrian towns in a demilitarised buffer zone of the Golan Heights.
“For your security you must stay at home and not go out until further notice,” Lieutenant Colonel Avichay Adraee, an Israeli army spokesman, announced on social media platform X, after Netanyahu’s order earlier Sunday for the military to seize the zone, which abuts the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, after the fall of Assad regime.
