DayofPal– The Israeli Cabinet has decided to occupy the Syrian Jabal Al-Sheikh area (Mount Hermon) to establish a buffer zone, taking advantage of the Syrian opposition’s takeover of most Syrian cities, according to Israeli Army Radio.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered Israeli forces to grab a buffer zone in the Golan Heights established by a 1974 ceasefire agreement with Syria, claiming that the decades-old agreement had collapsed and that Syrian soldiers had abandoned their positions following Bashar Al-Assad overthrow, necessitating the Israeli takeover.
The Israeli army thereby issued an “urgent warning” to Syrians living in Ofaniya, Quneitra, Al-Hamidiyah, Samdaniya Al-Gharbiyya and Al-Qahtaniyah – all close to the Israeli-occupied portion of the Golan Heights.
Avichay Adraee, the Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesman, said on social media that agricultural areas in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights were declared closed military zones and some schools shifted to online classes in anticipation of unrest.
Israeli forces invading the demilitarized zone between Syria and the Golan Heights violates the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between Israel and Syria. The agreement, brokered by the United Nations, established a ceasefire and buffer zone in 1974.
Earlier today, Israeli airstrikes targeted suspected chemical weapons labs near Damascus, according to Israel’s Channel 12. Additional strikes hit the Khalkhalah airbase in southern Syria, as confirmed by regional sources and Reuters.
The Israeli Air Force reportedly launched over ten airstrikes on sites near Damascus, including Mazzeh Airport and the Kafr Sousa area. Explosions were also reported in Damascus’s security district, which houses intelligence and customs buildings.
In a statement on Telegram, the Israeli army said ground troops had been deployed into Syrian territory and were working with other branches of the army, including air, sea and intelligence.
The Israeli army mentioned that its forces are stationed on four fronts: the occupied West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.
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