Israel to impose ‘sterile defence zone’ in southern Syria

By James Mackenzie and Suleiman Al-Khalidi for Reuters

Israel has ordered its forces to create a “sterile defence zone” in southern Syria that would be enforced without a permanent Israeli presence as it tightens its hold along the line between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Defence Minister Israel Katz says.

He gave no details but said the zone, would “prevent the establishment and organization of terror in Syria”.

“We will not allow this, we will not allow threats to the state of Israel,” he said on Tuesday in a statement following a visit to a naval base in the northern Israeli port of Haifa.

Earlier, a military spokesperson said Israeli troops remained in the demilitarised buffer zone in Syrian territory created after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war as well as “a few additional points” outside the separation area.

But he denied that forces had penetrated Syrian territory significantly beyond the zone, after Syrian sources said the incursion had extended to within 25km of the capital Damascus.

“IDF forces are not advancing towards Damascus. This is not something we are doing or pursuing in any way,” Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, the military spokesperson, told a briefing with reporters.

“We are not involved in what’s happening in Syria internally, we are not a side in this conflict and we do not have any interest other than protecting our borders and the security of our citizens,” Shoshani said.

Israeli jets have struck a string of targets across Syria since the weekend, aiming to ensure Syrian military equipment, including combat aircraft, missiles and chemical weapons, does not fall into rebel hands.

As part of the wave of strikes, Katz said Israeli missile ships had destroyed the Syrian military fleet in an operation on Monday night.

Israeli media reported that the air force had carried out as many as 250 strikes. The military declined to confirm the number but did confirm it was seeking to stop Syrian military weapons from being seized and used by potential enemies.

“We’re acting to prevent lethal strategic weapons from falling into hostile hands. We’ve been doing this for years now in different ways and in different situations, and we’re doing it now,” Shoshani said.

Limited, temporary measure

The flight of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday ended over five decades of his family’s rule.

Israeli troops then moved into the demilitarised zone inside Syria, including the Syrian side of the strategic Mount Hermon that overlooks Damascus, where it took over an abandoned Syrian military post.

Israel, which has just agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon following weeks of fighting the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement, calls the incursion a temporary measure to ensure border security.

But it remained unclear how far beyond the designated buffer zone its troops had stopped.

Three security sources said on Tuesday the Israelis had advanced beyond the demilitarised zone. One Syrian source said they had reached the town of Qatana, several kilometres to the east of the zone and just a short drive from Damascus airport.

Israel welcomed the fall of Assad, an ally of its main enemy Iran, but has reacted cautiously to the leading rebel faction, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. HTS has roots in Islamist movements including al Qaeda and Islamic State though it has sought for years to moderate its image.

Israel has said it does not seek conflict with Syria. But as in southern Lebanon following the ceasefire with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement, Israeli leaders have said they will intervene whenever they feel Israel’s security is threatened.

“We will not allow an extremist Islamic terrorist entity to act against Israel across its border,” Katz said.

US in close touch with Israel, Syrian opposition groups

Meanwhile, US officials were in close touch with both Syrian opposition groups and Israeli officials as the situation developed, White House spokesperson John Kirby said.

Kirby said President Joe Biden was staying fully briefed by his national security team and his US national security adviser Jake Sullivan was travelling to Israel on Wednesday. He said the US was not involved in any Israeli operations in Syria, and Israel had made clear these were “temporary measures to ensure their own security”.

The United States wanted to ensure that the Syrian people were able to determine their future and that there was a Syrian-led evolution toward “better and more representative governance,” Kirby added.

– Reuters