Israeli soldiers in the occupied Golan Heights, near the border with Syria on Dec. 7, 2024. (Credit: Jalaa Marey/AFP)
The Israeli army announced it has deployed forces in the U.N.-monitored buffer zone along its border with Syria, including the occupied Golan Heights, and at several key locations deemed necessary for defense. This comes in light of recent events in Syria, where the regime of Bashar al-Assad was officially overthrown Sunday morning following the arrival of Syrian rebels in Damascus. The Israeli army stated, however, that it "is not intervening in the ongoing events."
Israeli lawmakers have also called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to take control of the Syrian Golan Heights.
Amichai Chikli, the minister for diaspora affairs, wrote on X that following the fall of the Assad regime, "Israel must reestablish control over the summit of Mount Hermon and create a new defense zone based on the 1974 cease-fire line."
Knesset member Tzvi Succot added that "Israel must establish a security zone in light of the new jihadist regime in Syria, which should include the Syrian Golan Heights and significant territory near the border."
Succot further argued that "the political and military cost" of such an initiative "is likely lower than ever," while the security benefit it would provide "is immense."
