Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Friday instructed the army to “prepare to stay” throughout the winter in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria, located atop the Golan Heights. Israel captured part of this strategic plateau during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
Israel seized control of the demilitarized zone on Sunday, just hours after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled, ousted from power by Syrian rebels.
Since then, the Israeli military has carried out hundreds of air and naval strikes on military facilities in Syria, targeting chemical weapons stockpiles as well as air defense systems to prevent them, it claims, from falling into rebel hands.
“Given the situation in Syria, it is of vital security importance to maintain our presence on Mount Hermon. Every effort must be made to ensure the army’s readiness on-site so that troops can remain in this area despite the harsh winter conditions,” the Defense Minister said in a statement.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office noted Thursday that the collapse of Assad’s government had created a “void along Israel’s border and in the buffer zone,” emphasizing that the presence of Israeli troops there is temporary until border security between Israel and Syria can be ensured.
Israel’s occupation of the buffer zone has drawn widespread international criticism, including from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Through his spokesperson, Guterres called on “all parties” to “end unauthorized presence in the separation zone and refrain from actions undermining the ceasefire and stability of the Golan.”
The United States, Israel’s primary military ally, has urged that the Israeli incursion remain “temporary.”
According to analysts, Israel fears that chemical weapons stockpiles or other strategic arms held by the forces of the deposed Syrian president could fall into the hands of jihadist groups, who might use them against Israel.
With AFP
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