Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday declared that the 1974 UN-monitored Disengagement Agreement, establishing a demilitarized buffer zone between Israel and Syria, has "collapsed."
Netanyahu said this during his visit to Mount Bental in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. This vantage point gives an excellent view of the Syrian border. He was accompanied by Defence Minister Israel Katz.
The fall of Bashar al-Assad's government has triggered a chain reaction across the Middle East," Prime Minister Netanyahu said yesterday.
"The fall of this regime offers new and very significant opportunities for Israel, and yet at the same time this poses risks," he cautioned.
He told reporters that he had instructed the Israeli forces to enter the buffer zone and take positions, preventing hostile elements from holding the area, according to reports from Xinhua news agency.
"We will not allow any hostile force to take a foothold on our border," he said, a clear message to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the group in charge of the rebel pushes against Syria.
Netanyahu promised that Israel would follow the situation closely and "do whatever is necessary to protect our borders and ensure our security." He also expressed hope for "a policy of good neighborliness" with Syria.
For his part, Katz said he ordered the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), with the cabinet's approval, to "take control of the buffer zone and key vantage points to ensure the protection of all Israeli communities in the Golan Heights -- both Jewish and Druze -- so that they will not be exposed to threats from the other side."
Since Israel reportedly commenced its fighting with Hezbollah in Lebanon in October last year, the airstrikes in Syria have become intensified, apparently targeting Iran and Hezbollah affiliated militias and activities.
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