Illustrative image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
Israel plans to create a buffer zone in Lebanon and Syria, Turkey’s Hurriyet newspaper reported on October 16, citing sources.
“Israel is doing everything to shift the fire from Lebanon to Syria. It is attacking Tartus, Hama, Homs, Aleppo, Dara and even the capital Damascus. It has moved its tanks into Syrian territory,” the newspaper said.
“It is clear that Israel wants to create a buffer zone in Lebanon by controlling all the lands up to the Litani River, and it will not be satisfied with creating a buffer zone in Lebanon only, as reports indicate that it is also seeking to create a buffer zone inside Syria,” it added.
The newspaper was apparently referring to an incident from October 11, during which an Israeli force reportedly advanced a few hundred meters into the southern Syrian governorate of al-Qunitra. This was denied by Syrian state media and local officials.
Separately, Reuters reported on October 15, citing security sources, that Israel removed mines and set up new barriers on the border between the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and the separation line with Syria.
The sources told the news agency that the Israeli move indicates that Israel may expand its ground operations and strike Hezbollah for the first time from the east along the Lebanese border, and create an area that can prevent the infiltration by the group’s fighters.
Israel has stepped up its attacks on Syria since the outbreak of the war in the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip last October, targeting Syrian military sites as well as personnel of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hezbollah and other factions of the so-called Axis of Resistance.
After expanding operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon last month, the Israeli military announced that it will work to prevent the supply of any weapons from Iran to Hezbollah through the Lebanese-Syrian border.
Despite recent escalation, an Israeli invasion into southern Syria remains unlikely. Even a limited ground operation could further complicate the situation for Israel as Russian forces are present along the separation line in the Golan Heights.
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