Click to see full-size image. (Israeli Defense Forces)
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) continues to operate with much freedom within the buffer zone adjacent to the Golan Heights and beyond in southern Syria, without facing any resistance from the forces of the country’s new Islamist-led interim government.
On May 11, the military announced that the 210th Division was still deployed on the Golan front to “defend” the Golan Heights.
“The division’s forces are deployed and equipped to handle multiple scenarios based on ongoing situational assessments, and also continue to provide assistance to the Syrian-Druze population in the area,” it said in a statement.
In a later statement, the IDF said that the elite Paratroopers Brigade was being redeployed from southern Syria to southern Israel ahead of an upcoming major offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The brigade concluded its operations and is now preparing with the 98th Division for “additional missions in Gaza ahead of the expansion of the fighting in the Strip,” the military added, noting that a reservist brigade will be replacing the paratroopers in the Golan and southern Syria.
Videos released by the IDF showed Israeli troops conducting patrols in Syrian territories, carrying out raids and blowing up sites of the former Syrian Arab Army (SAA).
The IDF invaded the buffer zone just hours after the fall of the Assad regime last December. It established nine strategic posts there. The military also launched hundreds of strikes against the country, destroying nearly all of the SAA’s combat capabilities.
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 country’s new Islamist-led interim government close to its territory. The primer also warned the government against attacking the Druze, vowing to defend the minority.
Earlier this month, the IDF launched a series of strikes on Syria, including one that hit the vicinity of the presidential palace in Damascus, as a message to interim president Ahmad Sharaa in response to an attack by government forces against the Druze.
Despite the escalation, recent airports revealed that the two sides were in fact engaged in direct talks mediated by the United Arab Emirates.
Syria’s new rulers clearly do not pose any threat to Israel. In fact, A letter sent by the country’s foreign ministry to the United States State Department last month, seen by Reuters, said, “We will not allow Syria to become a source of threat to any party, including Israel.”
Still, this does not mean that Israel will seek peace with Syria, or withdraw from its territories. On the contrary, the IDF will likely escalate its operations in the country even more in coming months, especially if it manages to secure a clear victory in Gaza.
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