Syria agrees to deployment of UN forces in buffer zone with Israel
Photo: de facto leader of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa (Getty Images)
The de facto leader of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, announced his agreement to deploy UN forces in the designated buffer zone with Israel. Earlier, Israeli forces occupied the area after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, Reuters reports.
"Israel's advance in the region was due to the presence of Iranian militias and Hezbollah. After the liberation of Damascus, I believe that they have no presence at all. There are pretexts that Israel is using today to advance into the Syrian regions, into the buffer zone," he stated.
It is worth noting that after the fall of Assad's regime, Israeli forces occupied the buffer zone in the Golan Heights.
The 400-square-kilometer buffer zone was established under the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and is controlled by UN forces. Israel took control of the Golan Heights during the final stages of the Six-Day War in 1967 and unilaterally annexed them in 1981.
This move was not internationally recognized, although the United States did so unilaterally in 2019.
Recently, the UN Security Council extended the mandate for the Golan Heights until June 30, 2025.
In December, the leader of the Syrian rebels criticized Israeli strikes. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) attacked military and strategic targets to prevent weapons, equipment, and ammunition from reaching the Syrian government army, which could be used by Islamist groups and other factions that pose a threat to Israel.
There were also reports of strikes on a naval base in Tartus used by the Russian contingent. Specifically, targets included the air defense base and a surface-to-surface missile depot.
