Click to see full-size image. Via X.
Israel has begun to restrict the movement of civilians in southern Syria, amid silence from the country’s new Islamist-led interim government.
On April 24, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) dropped leaflets over the town of al-Hmidaiah in the northern countryside of al-Qunitra, warning sheep herders from approaching the buffer zone adjacent to the occupied Golan Heights.
“To sheep herders
We would like to warn sheep herders that approaching the barrels or wandering near the line area may put you in danger and harm your livelihood!
You must adhere to the instructions for your own safety,” the leaflets read.
The IDF occupied the buffer zone hours after the fall of the regime of former president Bashar al-Assad last December. The military established nine strategic posts there. Also as a part of the invasion, the military also launched hundreds of strikes, destroying much of the country’s military capabilities.
Since then, the military has dropped leaflets close to the buffer zone more than once warning civilians from moving in certain areas.
The IDF on April 3 dropped leaflets over the town of Koya in the western Daraa countryside with instructions preventing civilians from using a key road. The move came after local gunmen attacked a group of Israeli troops near the town. Several strikes hit nearby areas in response, killing at least 11.
“To all residents of Koya town and the surrounding area
We would like to inform you that, in light of what happened in your town, you are prohibited from moving while armed in and around the village. You are also prohibited from crossing the Wadi-Sharia road, which is marked with an X toward the Yarmouk Basin.
We warn you, and you must follow the instructions to maintain order,” the military said in the leaflets at the time.
Click to see full-size image. Via X.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in February that southern Syria must be completely demilitarized, warning that Israel would not accept the presence of the forces of the interim government anywhere near its territory.
Later in March, Defense Minister Israel Katz said that troops will remain deployed to the nine posts in the buffer zone “indefinitely.”
Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, chief of staff of the IDF, approved earlier this month plans for “continued defense and offensive operations” in Syria during a visit to troops deployed in the buffer zone in the south of the country.
All in all, the IDF appears to be planning to stay in the buffer zone for the long term. The lack of any reaction from the Syrian government could even encourage Israel to annex the zone and expand its control in southern Syria even further in the near future.
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