The Israeli military announced on Sunday that it had sent soldiers to an unarmed buffer zone in southwestern Syria, close to the Golan Heights, which Israel controls. This move comes after rebel forces took control of Syria's capital, Damascus.
Earlier, Israel said its soldiers had entered the United Nations (UN)-buffered zone to help peacekeepers who were under attack by Islamist militants. These militants had quickly gained ground in Syria. On Sunday, Israel officially confirmed that its troops were now stationed in the area due to concerns that armed groups might enter the buffer zone.
The Israeli military said the troops were there to protect Israeli communities in the Golan Heights and keep Israeli citizens safe. The army made it clear that they would stay as long as needed to defend Israel, but they were not getting involved in Syria’s internal fighting.
This escalation followed an increase in attacks by a group of Islamist militants, led by the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, against the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Syrian government troops had to retreat from parts of Quneitra province, which includes part of the Golan Heights.
Israel has controlled most of the Golan Heights since 1967 and later annexed it, a move that most countries do not recognize. The UN set up the buffer zone in 1974 to separate Israeli-controlled land from Syrian-controlled land, and peacekeepers have been stationed there ever since.
On Saturday, a spokesperson for the UN peacekeepers said they had seen “unidentified armed individuals” in the buffer zone, including a group of 20 people who entered a UN position in the northern area. The Israeli military helped the UN peacekeepers fight off the attack, and the UN confirmed that its peacekeepers are still working on the Golan Heights.
Also, Lebanese media reported that Israel carried out an airstrike on Sunday, targeting an arms depot in Quneitra. The Israeli military did not comment on this report.
In response to the growing tension, the Israeli military announced that schools in northern Golan Heights would switch to remote learning. Some farming areas there were also declared a “closed military zone.”
Quneitra province has been a hotspot for fighting since the Syrian conflict began in 2011. Militants and jihadist groups often take control of the area. In 2014, Islamist militants attacked the UN peacekeeping mission, taking more than 40 Fijian peacekeepers hostage for nearly two weeks.
