Arab League condemns 'Israel’s' occupation of Syrian territories

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
14 Dec 2024 19:04

Following "Israel's" occupation of Syria's buffer zone, the Arab League has urged the UNSC to intervene and the international community to pressure "Israel" to withdraw.

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A general view of the fence near the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights from Syria, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024 (AP)

The Arab League condemned on Friday "Israel's" occupation of the buffer zone in Syria and urged the UN Security Council to address "Israel's" actions against Syria.

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry revealed that the Arab League held a meeting in Cairo to form a unified stance against the Israeli occupation's aggression against Syrian territory.

The bloc also urged the international community to push "Israel" to withdraw from the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

Israeli army presence in Golan buffer zone breaches 1974 deal: UN

Israeli occupation forces (IOF) moving into the buffer zone on the border of the Israeli-"annexed" Golan Heights "violate" the 1974 disengagement agreement between "Israel" and Syria, a UN official said earlier this Monday.

The UN peacekeeping force in the Golan Heights, known as UNDOF, "informed the Israeli counterparts that these actions would constitute a violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement," according to Stephane Dujarric, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' spokesperson.

Dujarric explained that the IOF had invaded the zone and were still there in at least three sites.

He explained the IOF "have entered the area of separation and have been moving within that area where they remain in at least three locations throughout the area of separation," adding that there should be no military or activities in that area and "Israel and Syria must continue to uphold the terms of that 1974 agreement, and preserve stability in the Golan."

IOF infiltrate Quneitra countryside, issue warnings to Daraa residents

Israeli tanks "infiltrated deep into Quneitra countryside overnight, entering the town of Khan Arnabah, one of the largest towns in the province," local sources from Quneitra reported Friday.

The Israeli tanks "entered an abandoned former military position in Khan Arnabah before later withdrawing," the sources added.

As part of its continued incursions into Syria, the Israeli occupation military also issued warnings to residents of villages in western rural Daraa, ordering them to remain in their homes, according to Al Mayadeen’s correspondent.

Regarding last night’s Israeli airstrikes, our correspondent pointed out that a significant portion of the targeted sites "had been previously struck by the occupation."

He noted that the Israeli airstrikes "targeted Mount Qasioun in the Syrian capital, Damascus, where sites belonging to the former regime's Republican Guard are located."

Meanwhile, Israeli Security Minister Israel Katz ordered the military to "prepare to remain" throughout the winter in the UN-patrolled buffer zone on the Golan Heights.

"Due to the situation in Syria, it is of critical security importance to maintain our presence at the summit of Mount Hermon, and everything must be done to ensure the (army's) readiness on-site to enable the fighters to stay there despite the challenging weather conditions," Katz's spokesman said in a statement Friday.

In a move that has triggered widespread international criticism, including from UN chief Antonio Guterres, the Israeli military occupied the demilitarized zone on Sunday, just hours after the armed opposition in Syria seized control of most of the country's territory.

"This deployment is temporary until a force that is committed to the 1974 (armistice) agreement can be established and security on our border can be guaranteed," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office claimed on Thursday.

The UN indicated that the Israeli military's seizure of the buffer zone violates the 1974 "disengagement agreement" between Syria and "Israel".