Defense Minister: Israeli Forces to Remain in Syrian Buffer Zone ‘Indefinitely’

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the Israel Defense Forces would remain inside the Syrian buffer zone “indefinitely” while visiting troops there on Tuesday.

“The IDF will remain at the summit of the Hermon and the security zone indefinitely to ensure the security of the communities of the Golan Heights and the north, and all the residents of Israel,” Katz said.

“We will not allow hostile forces to establish themselves in the security zone in southern Syria… we will act against any threat,” he added.

Katz was visiting an army post on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, the highest point in the Golan Heights.

Israel sent forces into the 235 sq km buffer zone to prevent Syrian rebels from approaching the border when the regime of Bashar Assad collapsed in December. Israel also launched waves of airstrikes on Syrian army assets and Iranian stockpiles to prevent them from falling into the hands of radical Islamists.

The move into the demilitarized zone was coordinated with peacekeepers from the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF).

Israel considers the 1974 ceasefire agreement void until order is restored in Syria.

While Israeli forces have briefly entered the buffer zone in the past, December’s takeover marked the first time since its establishment that the IDF set up positions there. The demilitarized zone was established with a ceasefire in 1974 that ended the Yom Kippur War.