Israel has occupied a significant portion of the Syrian-controlled Golan Heights. Israeli forces have ordered residents of five villages in the area to remain indoors. This move came immediately after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s government on Sunday (December 8), following an armed offensive by Syrian opposition groups.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that their forces have entered the buffer zone of the Golan Heights. This buffer zone was declared under the 1974 ceasefire agreement.
Netanyahu remarked that the old agreement has essentially collapsed. “With Syrian forces abandoning their positions, we were compelled to take this step. We will not tolerate the presence of any enemy forces near our borders,” he said.
During the 1967 war, Israel captured a portion of the Golan Heights and later annexed it. However, the rest of the world, except the United States, considers this an illegally occupied territory.
After seizing the area, the Israeli military issued warnings to residents of the Syrian villages of Oupania, Quneitra, Al-Hamidiyah, Samdaniyah Al-Gharbiya, and Al-Qahtaniyah. Colonel Avichai Adraee stated on social media, “Due to conflicts in your area, we are taking action. However, our intention is not to harm you.”
Meanwhile, agricultural areas in the occupied Golan Heights have been converted into military zones, and some schools have shifted to online education.
Israeli Airstrikes
Israeli media reported that the country’s air force carried out strikes on alleged weapons depots in southern Syria and Damascus.
According to Israel’s public broadcaster Kan, “We targeted ammunition depots in southern Syria and Damascus airport to prevent them from falling into the hands of armed groups.”
Al Jazeera reported that the strikes caused fires at military and customs headquarters in the Kafr Sousa area of Damascus. Reuters confirmed that Israel was responsible for the attack on the security complex.
