MOSCOW, January 26. /TASS/. Israel has no territorial claims in Syria and is present in the buffer zone temporarily, Israeli Ambassador to Russia Simona Halperin told TASS.
When asked whether Israel is ready to refuse from the recent territorial advances on the border with Syria, she said, "Israel has no territorial ambitions in Syria." "It is important to understand first of all," she stressed.
"When at the beginning of the current developments, Islamists, jihadists attacked the buffer zone UN posts, Israel entered the area to ensure security. Israel is present in this buffer zone. It is important to understand that we are in a very limited territory, we are present there temporarily, and we are present there for one thing - to ensure security," she stressed.
According to the Israeli diplomat, Israel will see to it that Syria’s new authorities "don’t let Syria’s territory be used as a springboard for aggression against Israel." "We cannot tolerate threats to Israel coming from this territory, we cannot allow Iran return there and use Syria’s territory to attack Israel or deliver strategic or other weapons to Hezbollah," Halpern said.
Situation around 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.
The 1974 Disengagement Agreement between Israel and Syria put an end to hostilities and established a buffer zone monitored by the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF).
Syria’s armed opposition units launched a large-scale offensive on government troops in the Aleppo and Idlib governorates on November 27. Late on December 7, they seized several large cities, including Aleppo, Hama, Deir ez-Zor, Daraa, and Homs. On December 8, they entered Damascus while government troops withdrew from the city. The head of the Syrian government, Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali, expressed his readiness for a peaceful transfer of power in the country. According to a statement from the Russian foreign ministry, Bashar Assad resigned as president of Syria and fled the country, instructing for the peaceful transfer of power.
Early on December 8, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officially announced the deployment of forces in the demilitarized zone separating the Golan Heights, which belong to Israel, and Syria. According to the IDF, it is a purely defensive step to thwart potential threats from Syria’s territory.