NY Times
Israeli ground forces advanced beyond the demilitarized zone on the Israel-Syria border over the weekend, marking their first overt entry into Syrian territory since the 1973 October War, according to two Israeli officials speaking anonymously to discuss sensitive developments.
The Israeli deployment came amid a successful push by rebel groups in Syria to drive President Bashar al-Assad out of power and out of the country, prompting neighboring states to brace for more regional instability created by his sudden fall and flight.
Israeli forces took control of the mountain summit of Mount Hermon on the Syrian side of the border, as well as several other locations deemed essential for stabilizing control of the area.
Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, the Israeli military chief of staff, appeared to confirm on Saturday night that Israeli forces had gone beyond a demilitarized buffer zone in the Golan Heights, saying Israel had ‘deployed troops into Syrian territory,’ although he did not elaborate further.
Israel has been covertly operating in Syria for many years amid its current conflict with Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group that had fought in Syria in support of Mr. al-Assad’s now-toppled government.
More recently, the Israeli military has been more explicit about striking sites and people there, saying it was targeting Hezbollah’s supply lines. But the deployment of ground troops beyond the demilitarized zone in Syria marks a significant shift in policy as the first overt entry of Israeli military forces into Syrian territory since the 1974 cease-fire agreement that officially ended the last war between Israel and Syria.
The Israeli Air Force over the weekend was also striking targets in Syria to destroy government military assets that could fall into the hands of rebel forces and are considered strategic threats by Israel, the two officials said.
These Syrian military assets had posed a risk to Israel previously, one that could now be exacerbated by extremist elements among the rebels who could seize control and use them against Israel, the officials said.
The targets included small stockpiles of chemical weapons, primarily mustard gas and VX gas, which remained in Syrian possession despite prior agreements to disarm, according to the officials. The Israeli military also targeted radar-equipped batteries and vehicles of Russian-made air defense missiles, as well as stockpiles of Scud missiles, according to the two officials.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel announced on Sunday that he had ordered troops to ‘take over the buffer zone’ between Israel and Syria and said Israeli forces had taken up military posts abandoned by Syrian troops, without specifying whether they had entered Syrian territory.
‘We gave the Israeli army the order to take over these positions to ensure that no hostile force embeds itself right next to the border of Israel,’ Mr. Netanyahu said. ‘This is a temporary defensive position until a suitable arrangement is found.’
Avichay Adraee, an Israeli military spokesman, on Sunday announced a curfew in five Syrian villages in the buffer zone, ordering residents to remain home ‘until further notice.’
The Israeli military said it was ‘not interfering with the internal events in Syria.’ But it added that its forces would ‘continue to operate as long as necessary in order to preserve the buffer zone and defend Israel and its civilians.’
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an independent monitor, said Israeli tanks and armored vehicles had been deployed in Quneitra, a region in the Golan Heights bordering Israel, Lebanon and Jordan.
Israeli officials and analysts have voiced concern that the fall of Mr. al-Assad’s government could empower militant groups who seek to carry out attacks against Israel. But while Mr. Netanyahu insisted that the deployment was temporary, it could also raise concerns that Israel might try to capitalize on the instability in Syria.
On Saturday night, the Israeli military said its forces had helped rebuff ‘armed individuals’ who attacked a United Nations observation post near Hader in southern Syria. The United Nations peacekeeping agency said ‘unidentified armed people’ had been spotted near the site, including 20 who went inside.
Israel captured the Golan Heights during the Middle East war of 1967 and annexed much of the territory in 1981. The rest is controlled by Syria.