Israel Invades Syria Beyond the Golan Heights
Israeli occupation forces at the peak of Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights, Dec. 9, 2024. X/ @visegrad24
December 9, 2024 Hour: 9:34 am
PM Netanyahu confirmed that his forces has taken control of the ‘buffer zones’ established by the 1974 ceasefire agreement.
On Monday, Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the Israeli military to create a “security zone” free of heavy weaponry in southern Syria, beyond the demilitarized zone between the two countries.
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He also requested that his country’s occupying forces ensure full control of the demilitarized zone in the Golan Heights, where the Israeli army was deployed yesterday following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government and the capture of Damascus by Syrian Islamist insurgents.
On Sunday, Israel ordered residents of five Syrian towns located within the demilitarized zone to remain in their homes. Previously, Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi added Syria to the list of active combat fronts.
Since 1967, Israel has been de facto occupying the Golan Heights, a territory located in southwestern Syria. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday confirmed that Israeli forces had extended their presence beyond the Golan and taken control of the “buffer zones” established by the 1974 ceasefire agreement.
More specifically, Zionist troops occupied Mount Hermon from the Syrian side and advanced several kilometers into the security zone of the occupied Golan Heights, as reported by Al Mayadeen.
To justify this new territorial occupation, Netanyahu claimed that the 1974 agreement had collapsed due to the Syrian army abandoning its positions, which he argued facilitated the presence of terrorist forces.
“We will not allow any hostile force to establish itself on our border,” Netanyahu stated, justifying what he described as a new instance of Israeli territorial expansion in violation of international law.
On Monday, Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Saar assured that the presence of troops in the demilitarized zone is “limited and temporary,” arguing that it was a necessary measure due to the chaos reigning in Syria following the fall of Assad.
Katz also ordered the Israeli military to destroy strategic weapons, including various types of missiles, rockets, and anti-aircraft defenses, to prevent them from falling into the hands of groups potentially hostile to Israel. He instructed Zionist forces to establish contact with Druze communities near the border and to prevent the transportation of weapons from Iran to the Shiite group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Over the last 24 hours, Syrian media outlets have accused the Israeli air force of bombing military targets in Syria, including military airports and weapons depots.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE – Al Mayadeen