Netanyahu Announces Israeli Troops Will Maintain Presence in Buffer Zone Inside Syria Indefinitely
JERUSALEM—Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Tuesday that Israeli forces will remain in a buffer zone on the Syrian border, which was taken after the removal of Syria’s President Bashar Assad, until another arrangement is established to guarantee Israel’s security.
Speaking from the summit of Mount Hermon—located in Syria about 6 miles from the border with the Israeli-held Golan Heights—Netanyahu stated that he had visited the same mountaintop 53 years ago as a soldier. However, the significance of the summit for Israel’s security has grown due to recent events.
Following the ousting of Assad by rebels last week, Israel seized a portion of southern Syria along the border with the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, drawing criticism from various quarters for possibly violating a 1974 ceasefire and taking advantage of the chaos in Syria to gain territory.
“We will remain there until an alternative arrangement is devised to ensure Israel’s security,” Netanyahu declared after visiting the buffer zone with Defense Minister Israel Katz.
Katz directed the Israeli military to swiftly establish a presence in the area, complete with fortifications, in anticipation of an extended stay. “The summit of the Hermon is the eyes of the state of Israel to identify our enemies who are nearby and far away,” he explained.
The buffer zone between Syria and the Golan Heights controlled by Israel was established by the U.N. after the 1973 Mideast war. However, a U.N. spokesman remarked that the Israeli troops’ advancement, regardless of its duration, violates the agreement that demarcated the buffer zone.
No immediate response was received from HTS, the terror group that led Assad’s removal, or from Arab nations.
Israel retains control of the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast conflict. Mount Hermon’s peak is divided among the Israeli-held Golan Heights, Lebanon, and Syria, with only the United States acknowledging Israeli sovereignty over the area.
With Assad no longer in power, the leader of HTS and Syria’s interim prime minister have committed to enhancing humanitarian support for millions in need of aid, according to a U.N. official.
Moreover, U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces proposed demilitarizing the Kurdish town of Kobani in northern Syria and redistributing security forces under American supervision, amid the continuing conflict between Turkey and Syrian Kurdish militia.
In a separate development, over 30 bodies of Syrians who disappeared during Assad’s rule were uncovered in a mass grave, with loved ones expressing hope initially that they were imprisoned rather than finding them burned alive.
Elsewhere, Qatar and France reopened their embassies in Damascus after years of closure, signaling a shift in diplomatic relations with Syria.
By Melanie Lidman
