Alex MacDonald
Middle East Eye / December 10, 2024
Israel has taken advantage of Bashar al-Assad’s overthrow to capture more territory in Syria.
Israel has occupied the Golan Heights since the 1967 war with Syria.
Between 1974 and 2024 the territory was divided between areas controlled by Israel and areas controlled by Syria, split by a buffer zone.
On Sunday, President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown by rebels, ending the rule of the Baath Party who first seized power in a coup in 1963.
Shortly after, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared the 1974 agreement maintaining the buffer zone in the Golan Heights was null and void.
On Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that Israeli forces had taken over Syrian army positions in parts of Mount Hermon, an area Israel first evacuated in 1974.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar described the move as “a limited and temporary step we took for security reasons” but Syrian security sources said on Tuesday that Israel had advanced 10km into the country.
Strategic importance
The Golan Heights has officially been recognised as part of Syria since the country won independence in 1944.
Despite numerous wars, claims and counter-claims, the international community continues to regard the scenic, resource-rich region as part of Syria.
In 2019, the United States under Donald Trump decided to officially recognise the Golan as Israeli – a move that President Joe Biden has not reversed.
The 1974 Disengagement Agreement between Israel and Syria – the most continuously recognised agreement between Israel and an Arab state – mandated that Israel would withdraw from Mount Hermon, as well as from an area of about 25 square kilometres around the city of Quneitra.
The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) was established on 31 May 1974 by Security Council resolution 350, following the signing of the agreement to monitor the territory.
Mount Hermon, which lies near the border with Lebanon, is one of the most significant strategic locations in the territory. As the highest mountain in Syria, it provides a plateau for observation across the region.
At only 40km from Damascus, the capital would be well in range of Israeli artillery that could be placed on the mountain.
Importantly, apart from Syria it also provides an observation point for areas in Lebanon that Israel considers Hezbollah strongholds, such as the Beqaa Valley.
Analysts have also said that Israeli radar systems had previously a significant blind spot, allowing low-flying drones from Iran to enter undetected.
Were radars placed on Mount Hermon, Israel could now monitor a much broader area.
“The mountains also provide the perfect cover for Israel’s special forces and spies, who can now enter Syria more freely, conducting missions under the cover of darkness,” wrote former Israeli air force pilot Naftali Hazony on X.
‘Threats from across the border’
The Israeli army has issued warnings to rebel forces in the Golan Heights not to cross into the buffer zone.
According to Ynet, the Northern Command elevated its alert level and activated emergency measures to bolster Israeli defences.
Speaking on TV on Monday, Netanyahu referenced his own tenure commanding the Sayeret Matkal special operations forces which operated in the Golan Heights in the 1970’s.
“I remember back from the day when I was in the special command … I remember how freezing cold it was there with [brothers] Eido and Yoni, blessed memory,” he said.
The family of Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which overthrew the Syrian government this weekend, are from the Golan Heights (hence the nom de guerre).
Though he has been keen not to antagonise Syria’s neighbours, it remains to be seen whether he will eventually push for Syrian sovereignty to be restored over the territory.
Alex MacDonald is a reporter at Middle East Eye
