Israel occupies buffer zone in Syria’s Golan Heights (Q&A)

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israel has expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights this week by seizing a UN-supervised demilitarized buffer zone, hours after the downfall of the Bashar al-Assad regime.

Assad fled Syria to Russia where he was given asylum after anti-regime groups captured the capital Damascus on Sunday, putting an end to the rule of the Baath Party, which had been in power since 1963.

Shortly afterwards, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the collapse of a UN-monitored disengagement agreement, which established a buffer zone between Israel and Syria.

The Israeli army took control of the mountain summit of Mount Hermon on the Syrian side of the border, and several other locations.

The army also mounted dozens of airstrikes against military bases, air defense stations and intelligence headquarters as well as long- and short-range missile depots, unconventional weapon stockpiles across Syria.

Israel claims that its military actions inside Syrian territory are defensive “to prevent any threat.”

What is Disengagement Agreement?

The Disengagement Agreement was signed on May 31, 1974 between Syria and Israel in the presence of representatives of the United Nations, the former Soviet Union (Russia now) and the US.

The agreement stipulates Israel’s withdrawal from all of the areas it had occupied during the 1973 war as well as an area of about 25 square kilometers (9.6 square miles) that included Quneitra and other locations.

The agreement defines the current border between Israel and Syria along with the accompanying military arrangements, creating two separation lines -- Israeli (blue) and Syrian (red) -- with a buffer zone between them.

The agreement is monitored by the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), as it is tasked with maintaining the cease-fire between Israel and Syria following the 1973 Middle East War.

Since 1974, UNDOF has patrolled the buffer zone between the Israeli- and Syrian-controlled zones.

Israel occupied most of the Golan Heights during the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed the territory in a move never recognized by the international community.

What is UNDOF?

According to the UNDOF website, as of August 2024, its personnel number was 1,309 members, comprising 1,117 soldiers, 59 officers, and 133 civilian officers.

The top 10 contributing countries to the UNDOF force are: Nepal (451), Uruguay (211), India (201), Fiji (149), Kazakhstan (140), Ghana (5), Bhutan (4), the Czech Republic (4), Ireland (4), and Zambia (3).

What is the buffer zone?

According to the UNDOF website, the buffer zone "extends over 75 kilometers in length and ranges in width from approximately 10 kilometers in the center to 200 meters in the far south."

The website also explains that on either side of the buffer zone, there are boundary areas divided into three zones: an area from 0 to 10 kilometers from the buffer zone, an area from 10 to 20 kilometers, and an area from 20 to 25 kilometers from the buffer zone.

The UNDOF forces are assigned with the task of inspections and monitoring the buffer zone to ensure compliance with the agreed-upon restrictions on weapons and forces.

Does buffer zone include Syrian villages?

There are several Syrian villages in the buffer zone area between Israel and Syria, according to the UNDOF website.

On Sunday, the Israeli army warned residents of five villages in southern Syria close to the Israeli border to remain in their homes due to their military actions in the area.

The list of villages include Ofaniya, Quneitra, al-Hamidiyah, Samdaniya al-Gharbiyya and al-Qahtaniyah.

Who are Golan Heights residents?

On June 5, 1967, Israel occupied the Syrian Golan Heights and later annexed it to Israel’s sovereignty, in a move never recognized by the international community.

In December 1981, the Israeli Knesset (parliament) passed legislation known as the Golan Heights Law that allows the imposition of Israeli laws, jurisdiction and administration to the occupied territory.

There are currently some 45 Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights built on the ruins of Arab Syrian villages destroyed by Israel.

According to the Syrian Foreign Ministry, the remaining area under the Israeli occupation is estimated at 1,150 square kilometers and includes 137 villages and 112 farms.

In March 25, 2019, then-US President Donald Trump signed a decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over Syria's occupied Golan Heights.

The population of the occupied Golan Heights are estimated at around 40,000 people, most of them are from the Arab Druze community while the rest are Israeli settlers.

What's importance of Golan Heights?

The Golan Heights is of strategic importance to Israel due to its geographic location in addition to the Tiberias Lake, which is considered a main water source to Israel, according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

An Israeli think-tank also refers to the military defensive privileges and advantages the Golan Heights offer to Israel as it also enhances Israel's military deterrence force in the region.

In a report titled "Israel’s Presence on the Golan Heights: A Strategic Necessity", the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security said "Mount Hermon marks the northern end of the Heights. The mountain provides excellent means to observe the entire region, up to Damascus, only some 60 kilometers away to the east, and over to the Haifa Bay on the Mediterranean to the west."

"Militarily, withdrawal from the Golan Heights would be a huge mistake. Control of this area gives Israel several important advantages," the Israeli think-tank said.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar