Israel’s military have deployed forces into the buffer zone between Israel and Syria in the occupied Golan Heights, according to a statement on Sunday.
“Following the recent events in Syria, including the entry of armed personnel into the buffer zone, the IDF has deployed forces in the buffer zone and in several other places necessary for its defense, to ensure the safety of the communities of the Golan Heights and the citizens of Israel,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.
The military said it would continue to operate as long as necessary in the area “to preserve the buffer zone and defend Israel and its civilians.”
“We emphasize that the IDF is not interfering with the internal events in Syria,” the statement added.
Some context: The Golan Heights is a strategic plateau that Israeli seized from Syria during the Six-Day War in 1967, before formally annexing it in 1981. The hilly landscape, which spans some 500 square miles, also shares a border with Jordan and Lebanon.
Syria’s capital Damascus is visible from atop the rocky Golan. The Israeli-occupied part of the region is separated from Syria by a buffer zone supported by the United Nations.
The Golan Heights is considered to be occupied territory under international law and UN Security Council resolutions, and Syria continues to demand it be returned.
