TEL AVIV, December 9. /TASS/. Israel has stationed its infantry and armored personnel along the border with Syria and deployed paratroopers to the buffer zone to prevent potential threats, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.
"Engineering, infantry, and armored forces <…> are stationed along Israel’s border with Syria to secure the area," it said. "Paratroopers' forces, joined by other troops, are conducting defense activities in the field to prevent any threat and are deployed in key positions within the buffer zone."
"Yesterday (Sunday), forces of the 210th Division took steps to proactive ensure the defense of Golan in light of internal events in Syria," it added.
Armed opposition units in Syria launched a large-scale offensive on government troops in the Aleppo and Idlib governorates on November 27. By the evening of 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, Assad stepped down and fled the country.
Early on December 8, Israel officially announced the deployment of its forces to 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.
Later in the day, Israel took control over the part of Mount Hermon that lies within Syria, part of the Golan Heights, with no resistance.
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.
The Golan Heights
The Golan Heights belonged to Syria since 1944 but were seized by Israel after the Six-Day War in 1967. During the Yom Kippur War in 1973, Syria tried to regain control over the area but failed. In 1981, Israel’s Knesset (parliament) passed a law proclaiming Israel’s sovereignty over this territory. However, United Nations Security Council Resolution 497 dated December 17, 1981 recognized the annexation as invalid.