Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz made a rare visit to his forces in southern Syria, reiterating his pledge to keep them in the region as long as there are “threats” to Israel’s security, a move condemned by Damascus.
The visit comes a week after Israel bombed the out-of-service Abu al-Duhur air base in northwest Syria, claiming it wanted to prevent the deployment of Turkish forces at the facility. Ankara has denied sending any delegation to the base.
Israeli forces have been stationed in southern Syria in a “security zone” since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2014.
Israeli forces are deployed in the buffer zone, which is patrolled by the United Nations and has separated Israeli and Syrian forces in the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights since 1974.
Katz said: “There is daily activity here to thwart threats, eliminate remnants of the old regime, and prevent the dangerous entrenchment of the new regime,” according to a video statement issued by his office.
Katz added, “The message is also clear to the Syrian president… When you wake up in the morning in your palace in Damascus and look towards Mount Hermon (Mount Sheikh) and see the Israeli army, you realize that we are here to protect our towns and our borders.”
Katz continued, “As long as there are threats, the Israeli army will remain here to ensure our security. This is what we have done, and this is what we intend to continue doing in the future.”
The Syrian Foreign Ministry, in a statement, condemned Katz’s illegal entry and “crossing the international borders of the Syrian Arab Republic, in flagrant violation of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” and called on the international community to take “the necessary measures to force the occupying authorities to stop the repeated violations.”
The Syrian Foreign Ministry stressed that “these hostile practices constitute a clear provocation and a violation of international law and the UN Charter, and a breach of the obligations of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and what it imposes in terms of ceasefire lines and not crossing them.”
Qatari condemnation
For its part, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the incident, considering it a “blatant violation of the sovereignty” of Syria.
Doha called on the international community to take urgent action to compel Israel to comply with international law resolutions, particularly the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, and to stop its repeated attacks on Syrian territory, in order to prevent further escalation and tension in the region.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry reiterated Doha’s full support for Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and its support for the Syrian people in achieving their security, stability and prosperity.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Israeli intelligence chief Roman Gofman held a meeting a few days ago in the Jordanian capital, Amman, to discuss reducing tensions between Tel Aviv and Damascus.
These developments come at a time when Israel continues its incursions and strikes inside Syrian territory. Israel has already launched hundreds of strikes in Syria since the fall of Assad, and has repeatedly infiltrated its territory.
Israeli officials have also repeatedly pledged to keep troops in the “security zone,” where Israel seeks to establish a wider demilitarized area.
Israeli army chief of staff, General Eyal Zamir, visited troops in the area last week, stressing that the army would not allow threats to “take root” on the border.
Tags:
asiawest
