Israel Takes Over Southern Syria and Declares It a ‘Sterile Defense Zone’
Syrian naval ships destroyed by Israeli bombing in the port city of Latakia, Dec. 10, 2024.
December 10, 2024 Hour: 1:31 pm
Since the collapse of the Assad administration, Israel has conducted about 250 airstrikes in Syria.
On Tuesday, Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had instructed the Israeli forces to establish a “sterile defense zone” in southern Syria, which would be “free of weapons and armed threats” and created “without a permanent Israeli presence.”
RELATED:
Europeans Put Syrian Asylum Applications on Hold
However, he did not provide details on the zone’s geographic boundaries or the operations Israel would use to establish it. Katz added that Israeli forces are “currently completing their deployment in the buffer zone and strategic areas to protect the Golan Heights and Israeli citizens.”
The aim of these actions is to prevent hostile groups from consolidating near Israel’s border in the aftermath of Bashar al-Assad’s downfall, the Israeli defense minister stated.
On Tuesday, Israel continued to strike Syrian army bases, following an overnight large-scale attack targeting the Syrian fleet in Mina al-Bayda Bay and the port of Latakia on the coast. Numerous vessels equipped with dozens of sea-to-sea missiles were destroyed. Since the collapse of the Assad administration, Israel has conducted about 250 airstrikes in Syria.
In remarks directed at Mohammed al-Bashir and Syria’s new transitional government, Israeli defense minister warned against following Assad’s path or maintaining alliances with Iran.
“We will not allow an extremist Islamic entity to operate against Israel beyond its border and endanger its citizens. We will do whatever is necessary to eliminate the threat,”
The buffer zone is a demilitarized area established by the 1974 Israel-Syria disengagement agreement. The Israeli incursion has drawn criticism from Iran, Iraq, Türkiye, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, with the international community calling for respect for Syria’s sovereignty.
teleSUR/ JF Source: Xinhua
