By broadening its military occupation of Syrian territory, Israel is trying to undermine the chances to restore stability in the civil war-plagued country, Saudi Arabia has said.
Israeli troops moved deeper into Syrian territory over the weekend, seizing the demilitarized buffer zone established after the 1973 Yom Kippur War, shortly after Damascus fell to a coalition of armed opposition forces led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The DMZ is adjacent to Syria’s Golan Heights, which have been illegally occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War.
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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reportedly carried out airstrikes in Syria on Sunday, with the bombings continuing throughout Monday and early Tuesday morning.
Israel’s actions demonstrate the “continued violation of the rules of international law and its determination to sabotage Syria’s chances of restoring its security, stability and territorial integrity,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday.
Iraq and Qatar also condemned Israel, with the Iraqi Foreign Ministry urging the UN Security Council to condemn the “aggression” against Syria.
Qusay al-Dahhak, Syria’s envoy to the UN, asked the international organization to “put an end to Israeli attacks on Syria and not to allow Israel to benefit from the transition the Syrians are doing in the country.”
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In a letter to the Security Council, Israeli envoy Danny Danon said that on Saturday, unspecified “armed groups” attacked UN peacekeepers stationed on the 1973 ceasefire line.
“In response to this evolving security threat and the danger posed by it to Israel – particularly to the residents of the Golan Heights – Israel has taken limited and temporary measures to counter any further threat to its citizens,” Danon wrote.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced earlier that he had issued an order to the IDF to make sure that “no hostile force embeds itself right next to the border of Israel.” He described the IDF’s advances as “a temporary defensive position until a suitable arrangement is found.”
Syrian opposition forces launched a lightning offensive late last month, capturing Damascus and toppling former President Bashar Assad on Sunday. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Assad agreed to step down after holding negotiations with unspecified armed groups and has left Syria. He has reportedly arrived in Moscow with his family.