Israel has seized more Syrian territory close to the occupied Golan Heights following the collapse of the Assad regime, citing potential threats Tel Aviv may face from the former rebels, reports the Middle East Monitor.
Amid mixed messages and reactions from much of the international community, Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated in a video that the collapse of the Assad regime and “the tyranny in Damascus” was a “historic day in the Middle East” which “offers great opportunity”, but claimed that it is also “fraught with significant dangers”.
Emphasising that the 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria over Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights had “collapsed” due to the rebel takeover of the country, Netanyahu announced the Israeli military’s entering of the buffer zone and seizure of “commanding positions nearby”, calling the move a “temporary defensive position until a suitable arrangement is found”.
Warning that Tel Aviv “will not allow any hostile force to establish itself on our border”, Netanyahu claimed that “if we can establish neighbourly relations and peaceful relations with the new forces emerging in Syria, that’s our desire. But if we do not, we will do whatever it takes to defend the State of Israel and the border of Israel.”
As per an Anadolu report, Arab countries have strongly condemned Israel’s seizure of a demilitarised buffer zone in Syria’s Golan Heights following the fall of Bashar al-Assad regime.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry described the move as “an occupation of Syrian territory and a flagrant violation to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.”
The agreement led to Israel’s withdrawal from some Syrian territories but left the Golan Heights under Israeli control.
Egypt said Israel’s action was a breach of international law and a violation of Syria’s territorial integrity.
It called on the UN Security Council and world powers to assume their responsibilities and take “a firm position” against Israel’s assault on Syria.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said “the assaults carried out by the Israeli occupation government, including the seizure of the buffer zone in the occupied Golan Heights and the targeting of Syrian territory by Israeli occupation forces, confirm Israel’s continued violations of international law and its intent to sabotage Syria’s chances of regaining security, stability and territorial integrity.”
The statement emphasised “the need for the international community to condemn these Israeli violations and reaffirm respect for Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and that the Golan is occupied Syrian Arab land.”
Qatar, in a statement, strongly condemned “the Israeli occupation’s seizure of the buffer zone with the sisterly Syrian Arab Republic and the neighboring leadership sites,” describing it as “a dangerous development and a blatant attack on Syria’s sovereignty and unity, as well as a flagrant violation of international law.”
It warned that the Israeli policy, including its attempts to seize Syrian territories, “will lead the region to further violence and tension.”
Kuwait, in a statement, also expressed “its strong condemnation and denunciation of the Israeli occupation forces’ seizure of the buffer zone on the Syrian border.”
It described the act as “a blatant violation of international laws and UN Security Council resolutions, which emphasize the necessity of respecting Syria’s sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and regional safety.”
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, speaking before his country’s parliament, said: “We condemn Israel’s actions of entering Syrian territory and taking control of the buffer zone,” according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Safadi stressed that “Israel’s aggression against Syria and the occupation of this land constitute a breach of international law, an unacceptable escalation and an assault on the sovereignty of an Arab state.”
Iraq’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement condemning “the Zionist entity’s seizure of the buffer zone with Syria in the Golan and the adjacent lands,” saying “this act represents a blatant violation of international law and relevant international legitimacy resolutions.”
The Arab League, in a statement on Sunday, expressed “its full condemnation of Israel, the occupying power, for its illegal attempts to exploit Syria’s internal developments, whether through seizing additional lands in the Golan Heights or declaring the 1974 Disengagement Agreement void.”
