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Israel takes control over Syria’s side of Mount Hermon in Golan Heights — media

According to The Times of Israel, the operation in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria was conducted by the Israeli Air Force Shaldag (Kingfisher) special forces unit

TEL AVIV, December 8. /TASS/. Israel has taken control over the Syrian side of Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights, with no resistance met, The Times of Israel reported.

According to the newspaper, the operation in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria was conducted by the Israeli Air Force Shaldag (Kingfisher) special forces unit.

Mount Hermon is a mountain cluster constituting the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range, with the highest summit reaching 2,814 meters. It is located on the border between Lebanon and Syria, with part of it being controlled by Israel, which has been holding the Golan Heights since 1967. Mount Hermon is Syria’s highest peak. Israel considers its southern slopes as its sovereign territory.

Syria’s armed opposition units launched a large-scale offensive on government troops in the Aleppo and Idlib governorates on November 27. By December 7, Syrian President Bashar Assad’s opponents had seized several large cities, including Aleppo, Hama, Deir ez-Zor, Daraa, and Homs. On Sunday morning, they entered Damascus and government troops withdrew from the city. Following intra-Syrian talks, President Assad stepped down and fled the country.

On Sunday morning, Israel officially announced the deployment of its forces in the buffer zone on the border with Syria. According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this was a temporary measure taken in light of the recent developments in neighboring Syria.

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