Israel’s military is “temporarily and limitedly” present in Syria, according to Foreign Minister Saar, citing security concerns after the fall of the Assad regime. Israel has occupied a strip of Syrian territory at the border and conducted airstrikes targeting chemical weapons and missile storage sites to prevent them from reaching extremists.
Unconfirmed reports suggest villagers have been arrested by Israeli forces, with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reporting all residents of a village in the buffer zone were arrested. It is unclear against whom the fighting is directed.
The UN confirmed the presence of 20 armed individuals in the north, near Mount Hermon, and Israel has assisted UN observers. With the fall of Assad, a power vacuum exists, prompting military actions from Israel, Turkey, and the US.
Egypt criticized Israel’s military move, labeling it as “further occupation” of Syrian land. The Golan Heights, occupied by Israel since the 1970s, remains a point of contention, with only the US recognizing it as Israeli territory.
Recent developments follow Assad’s removal by the HTS rebel group after 13 years of civil war.
Source: NOS