In its message to HTS leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, Israel made it clear that it is prepared to keep troops in the Golan Heights buffer zone for as long as necessary, but would consider transferring control to a stable and accountable Syrian government
Jerusalem has warned Ahmad al-Sharaa, Syria’s de facto leader, that it will not tolerate jihadist groups establishing bases in southern Syria, Hebrew media reported late Sunday.
In the message, Israel stressed that it is willing to keep troops stationed in the Golan Heights demilitarized zone for as long as necessary to secure the border, Ynet reported.
However, Jerusalem indicated that it could consider transferring control of the buffer zone to a stable and accountable Syrian government if such an authority were to emerge.
The leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Syrian Islamist group that led the Dec.8 overthrow of the Assad regime, said Dec.16 that the rebel alliance in Damascus would continue to abide by the 1974 Disengagement Agreement that ended the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
According to an interview in Arabic with The New York Times and a group of journalists, al-Sharaa also called on the international community to ensure that Jerusalem complies with the agreement, criticizing the deployment of the Israel Defense Forces to the buffer zone and other areas of Syrian territory.
He said it was no longer necessary for Israeli forces to be in the Golan Heights to protect the border area, since the fall of the Assad regime had eliminated the threat from Hezbollah and other Iranian terrorist proxies.
Since the fall of the Assad regime, Israeli troops have occupied positions inside and beyond the buffer zone, including on the strategic Syrian side of Mount Hermon.
The Israeli Air Force has also carried out hundreds of strikes against Assad’s military assets.
On December 17, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and other senior security officials reviewed Israeli troop positions on the border with Syria.
During the visit to Mount Hermon, Netanyahu “reviewed the IDF deployment in the area and set guidelines for the future,” according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
“We are conducting this assessment to decide on the deployment of the IDF in this important location until another arrangement is found that guarantees Israel’s security,” the prime minister said.
“This is nostalgic for me. I was here 53 years ago with my soldiers in the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit [Sayeret Matkal]. The place has not changed,” the Israeli prime minister added.
“It is the same place, but its importance to Israel’s security has only been reinforced in recent years; especially in recent weeks with the dramatic events that have unfolded below us in Syria.”
“We will determine the best arrangement that will ensure our security,” the premier concluded.
“The peak of Mount Hermon serves as the eyes of the State of Israel to detect threats near and far,” Katz said, according to a Defense Ministry readout.
“The IDF is here to protect the communities of the Golan Heights and the citizens of the State of Israel from any threat, from the most important place to do so,” the defense minister continued.
“Our presence here on the peak of Hermon strengthens security and adds a dimension of both observation and deterrence against Hezbollah strongholds in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon and deterrence against the rebels in Damascus, who pretend to present a moderate image but belong to the most extreme Islamist sects,” he concluded.
Published in 12/23/2024 11h49
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.
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