Las Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have begun a defense operation in southern Syria, with the parachute deployment and engineering, armor and infantry troops along the border with Syria. The intervention seeks protect the inhabitants of the Golan and prevent any threat in the region, following the increase in violence in Syria and the overthrow of the president Bashar al Assad by an insurgent coalition.
Israeli parachute teams and other military units They are carrying out patrols in the demilitarized zone of the Golan Heightsa Syrian territory occupied by Israel since 1967. According to the IDF statement, the troops are deployed at checkpoints and operate under the command of regional brigades, such as the Golan Brigade and the Mountain Brigadewith the aim of securing the border and avoiding any incursion.
The Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gideon Saarpointed out that the presence of Israeli troops in Syrian territory is “limited and temporary”a necessary step for security reasons in the face of instability following the collapse of the Assad government.
The IDF confirmed that Israeli troops have taken control of the Syrian part of the Mount Hermonlocated in the demilitarized zone. However, Saar emphasized that Israeli forces are at a distance of between a few meters and a maximum of almost three kilometers from the border, in accordance with the delimitation that Israel considers valid in the Golan Heights.
The Israeli deployment comes as the conflict in Syria has generated new sources of tension. Although the overthrow of Assad has altered the country’s political map, battles continue on different fronts, particularly in the northeast, where Turkish-backed rebels continue to pressure forces. Syrian Kurdish.
In response to the situation, Israel has intensified its actions in the region, not only with the deployment of troops in the demilitarized zone, but also with airstrikes.
The Israeli army bombed several strategic objectives in Syria. In particular, the minister Saar He said Israel attacked security systems strategic weapons like for example, the remaining chemical weapons or long-range missiles and rockets so that they do not fall into the hands of extremists.” “Those who control (…) Damascus” currently move through “an extreme ideology of radical Islam”he added.
Later, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an NGO that monitors the conflict, said Israel also attacked weapons depots, some of which contained anti-tank missiles and chemical weapons systems. “Israel is destroying everything it perceives as a threat”said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the organization.
For his part, Saar insisted that “The only thing that interests us is the security of Israel and its citizens.”
