In the sequence of events that has followed Bashar al-Assad’s fall in Syria, a regional race for power has begun. Even before the dictator flew to Moscow on Sunday, December 8, fleeing Damascus just as it was on the verge of being taken over by rebels led by the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Israeli forces had already entered Syrian territory, deploying paratroopers, infantry and tank units on Saturday. They entered part of a buffer zone set up between Israel and Syria, which has been under UN supervision for the past 50 years, and seized the Syrian side of Mount Hermon. Culminating at over 2,800 meters, the mountain looms over the entire region, offering clear views from Lebanon to Syria – including over Damascus, which is located just 40 kilometers away from the mountain, as the crow flies.
This strategic position was taken without firing a shot. The demilitarized zone is home to at least 1,000 peacekeepers of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), who are now left powerless by the situation. On Tuesday morning, unconfirmed reports indicated that the Israeli advance beyond the buffer zone was continuing deeper into Syrian territory, in the district of Qatana, located some 25 kilometers from Damascus, according to Reuters.
On Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar insisted on the “temporary” nature of this military deployment in what the UNDOF calls the “area of separation” (which was originally designed to prevent a resumption of clashes between Israel and Syria, in the aftermath of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war). He put forward security concerns, both linked to possible incursions by armed groups belonging to the rebel coalition, elements of which took control of the nearby town of Quneitra on Saturday, as well as in preparation for possible chaos in Syria. This provisional situation, however, threatens to become a lasting issue, raising many questions.
‘Violation of the UN Charter’
On Sunday, speaking from the Golan Heights, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “[One threat] is the collapse of the Separation of Forces Agreement from 1974, between Israel and Syria. This agreement held for 50 years. Last night, it collapsed. The Syrian army abandoned its positions. We gave the Israeli army the order to take over these positions to ensure that no hostile force embeds itself right next to the border of Israel.” Iran, which has suffered a major setback with the fall of al-Assad, its vassal, condemned the move: “This aggression is a flagrant violation of the United Nations charter,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said, in a statement on Monday.
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