The Israeli military announced on Sunday that it was continuing its military operation in Syrian territory, which has been carrying out “operational raids” in Syria's Mount Hermon in recent weeks and has drawn international condemnation.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a group that monitors the war in Syria, also reported on Sunday that Israeli forces were responsible for airstrikes around the Syrian capital Damascus. The airstrike targeted an ammunition depot used by the government of President Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted in a rebel attack last month, the Observatory said. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the airstrike.
Israel on Sunday said its continued military operation in Syria, which it said was aimed at “strengthening the defense of the Israeli people,” was agreed to by the United Nations, which said Israel was violating a decades-old ceasefire by sending in troops. This has drawn criticism from some member states. within and outside buffer zones between nations.
The attack came days after Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced he had met with members of a United Nations peacekeeping mission on the Syria-Israel border. The United Nations Disengaged Observation Force, known as UNDOF, was established by the Security Council in 1974 to maintain a ceasefire between Israeli and Syrian forces after the 1973 war and to oversee the buffer zone established in the agreement. It was done.
After Syrian rebels suddenly overthrew the Assad regime last month, Israeli ground forces marched in and out of the demilitarized zone, openly invading Syria for the first time in half a century, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Israel's violations. denounced. Contents of the 1974 Agreement.
Saar said in a statement that “extremist armed groups” attacked peacekeepers in the buffer zone, violating the ceasefire. UNDOF did not immediately respond to requests for comment on these claims.
Israel's attacks in Syria add to an already highly complex situation on the ground, as Syria's new leadership seeks to rebuild a country devastated by more than a decade of civil war and gain international recognition. It's making it complicated.
Ahmed al-Shara, the rebel commander who led the coalition that overthrew al-Assad and took over as interim leader, said in an interview with the New York Times and other news outlets in December that criticized the military's actions. Immediately after he came to power. He said Syria would continue to abide by the 1974 ceasefire agreement and called on the international community to ensure that Israel also abided by the agreement.
But Israel has repeatedly indicated that it plans to remain in Syria for as long as it deems necessary. When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Mount Hermon in December, which Israeli forces captured last month, he said he would remain in the country “until another arrangement is found that guarantees Israel's security.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz, who accompanied the prime minister on the visit, said the Israeli military presence there was “an attack on the Damascus rebels, who claim to have a moderate face but are one of the most radical Islamist movements.” It functions as a deterrent force.
al-Shara's rebels, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham used to belong to al-Qaeda, but left the group in 2017. It has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, the United Nations, and other countries, but some countries have said they may consider lifting that designation. They say the decision will depend on whether there is a democratic transition in Syria and whether rebel leaders show respect for minorities.
In recent weeks, Al-Shara has sought to present himself as a diplomat focused on rebuilding his country, meeting with officials from the United States as well as Europe and the Middle East.
There are also indications that Syria's new government would also welcome relations with Israel. In a late December interview with NPR, newly appointed Damascus governor Maher Marwan called on the United States to use its influence with Israel to encourage the establishment of diplomatic relations.
But for now, Israel appears to be more focused on military action.
In addition to invading Israeli ground forces into Syria, Israeli forces have also carried out intensive airstrikes before and after al-Assad's fall, according to war observers. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a report on Thursday that it had recorded more than 370 Israeli attacks in Syria last year, with the majority occurring in recent weeks.
