Israeli army violate 1974 Golan Heights disengagement agreement, UN says

Israeli troops moving into the buffer zone on the edge of the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights violate the 1974 disengagement agreement between Israel and Syria, a U.N. spokesman said Monday.

The U.N. peacekeeping force in the Golan Heights, known as UNDOF, notified Israeli counterparts that these actions constitute a breach of the 1974 agreement, according to Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Dujarric said Israeli forces remain in at least three locations within the buffer zone, which was established to separate Israeli-held and Syrian territories following the 1967 occupation of most of the Golan Heights by Israel.

Israel annexed the region in a move unrecognized by most of the international community.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he ordered the army to “seize” the demilitarized zone in the Syrian-controlled part of the Golan Heights after rebels ousted Assad regime.

Israeli forces “will continue to operate as long as necessary in order to preserve the buffer zone and defend Israel,” the Israeli government said.

“There should be no military forces or activities in the area of separation,” Dujarric said, adding, “Israel and Syria must continue to uphold the terms of the 1974 agreement to maintain stability in the Golan Heights.”