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December 9, 2024 | 01:02 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that he had instructed the Israeli military to seize the demilitarized buffer zone on the border with Syria.
As reported by Channel NewsAsia on Monday, December 9, 2024, this order came after the overthrow of Bashar al Assad from Damascus.
Netanyahu stated that the 50-year-old 'disengagement agreement' between the two countries had failed and that 'Syrian forces have abandoned their positions'.
'I directed the IDF (military) yesterday to seize the buffer zone and command positions nearby. We will not allow the enemy forces to build themselves up on our border.'
The announcement, made by Netanyahu during his visit to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights bordering the buffer zone, came after the Israeli military said it had deployed forces to the area.
Israel had stated the day before, when Islamist-led rebels quickly crossed Syria, that its troops entered the UN-patrolled buffer zone claiming to assist peacekeeping forces in repelling attacks.
On Sunday, the Israeli army announced the deployment of forces there, citing 'the possibility of armed individuals entering the buffer zone'.
'Following recent events in Syria... the IDF (military) has deployed forces in the buffer zone and other necessary locations for its defense, to ensure the safety of the Golan Heights residents and Israeli citizens,' a military statement said.
Israel's forces 'will continue to operate as necessary to defend the buffer zone and protect Israel,' it added.
The statement also emphasized that the Israeli military 'does not interfere in Syria's internal affairs'.
On Sunday, the Israeli military also imposed a curfew on the residents of five cities in Syria in the demilitarized buffer zone of the Golan Heights.
'For your safety, you must stay at home and not go out until further notice,' said Lieutenant Colonel Avichay Adraee, an Israeli military spokesperson, on X.
Since the rebel coalition, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Islamist group, launched a new offensive on November 27, Syrian government forces have abandoned their positions near the Israeli-occupied Golan, according to war monitors.
Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said on Saturday that Syrian army forces had withdrawn from their positions in Quneitra Province, which includes part of the Golan Heights.
Most of the highlands have been occupied by Israel since 1967, which later annexed it in an action not recognized by most of the international community.
In 1974, the buffer zone was established, separating the Israeli-controlled area from the Syrian territory, and since then UN peacekeeping forces have been stationed there.
A UN peacekeeping spokesperson said on Saturday that UNDOF personnel had observed 'unidentified armed individuals in the separation area, including around 20 individuals who entered one of the mission's positions in the northern part of the separation area'.
The Israeli army said it was 'assisting the UN forces in repelling the attack'.
A UN spokesperson said that 'peacekeepers continue to carry out their mandated activities in the Golan'.
On Sunday, Lebanese media reported Israeli attacks in Quneitra targeting weapon depots. The Israeli military declined to comment.
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