Israel PM Orders Military to “Seize” Syria Buffer Zone Following Assad’s Overthrow
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that he had ordered the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to “seize” a demilitarized buffer zone along the border with Syria, following the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus. Netanyahu declared that the 50-year-old disengagement agreement between Israel and Syria had effectively collapsed, citing the abandonment of Syrian military positions.
The Prime Minister added that the IDF had been directed to take control of the buffer zone and key commanding positions in the area, stating, “We will not allow any hostile force to establish itself on our border.”
Netanyahu’s statement came during a visit to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, which borders the buffer zone. Earlier, the Israeli military had announced the deployment of forces in the area to secure the border following the swift advances of Islamist-led rebel forces across Syria. The army explained that its operations were aimed at protecting both the Israeli Golan Heights and its citizens from potential threats.
On Saturday, a military statement confirmed the deployment, citing “the possible entry of armed individuals into the buffer zone.” The Israeli military emphasized that while it was acting to protect its territory, it was not engaging in Syria’s internal conflict.
Since the resurgence of the rebel coalition led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham on November 27, Syrian government forces have been retreating from positions near the Golan Heights, including in Quneitra province. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Saturday that Syrian troops had withdrawn from key locations in the area.
The buffer zone, established in 1974 following the Yom Kippur War, has separated Israeli-held and Syrian territories, with UN peacekeepers stationed there. In recent days, the UN has reported seeing “unidentified armed individuals” entering the buffer zone, prompting Israeli assistance in repelling the attack alongside UN forces.
On Sunday, Lebanese media reported an Israeli airstrike on Quneitra targeting an arms depot, though the Israeli military declined to comment. The Israeli army also announced that schools in northern Golan Heights, covering four Druze towns, would shift to online learning, and a “closed military zone” was declared in local agricultural areas.
The ongoing tensions follow years of instability in the region, with early phases of Syria’s civil war involving rebel and jihadist forces taking control of parts of Quneitra. In 2014, Syrian rebels attacked UN peacekeepers in the area, taking over 40 Fijian soldiers hostage for nearly two weeks.
