Once the scene of pitched battles, the Golan is considered by the government to be a crucial asset for Israel’s national security. The heights overlook four countries: Syria, Israel, Lebanon and Jordan. Israel has occupied their western part since 1967.
Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, was quick to capitalise on the Israeli advance. Just hours after Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow, he flew to the Golan for a photo-opportunity. He hailed a “historic day for the Middle East” and claimed credit for the Syrian people’ uprising, saying that it was “the direct result of our forceful action against Hizbullah and Iran”
Oh I expect Turkey and the US had their mitts involved. Turkey wanted to keep the Kurds down and they wish their own nation and Turkey proper has a significant number of Kurds. And the US has a military base in Syria located in al-Omar oil field.
This article is obviously an opinion piece. Israel definitely, positively needs to control the Golan Heights from which the entire Galilee can be shelled. That’s a no-brainer.
The Turks have made incursions into Syria and Iraq to beat down Kurdish “terrorists”. Will they take advantage and carve off a slice of Syria, permanently?
Israeli Ground Forces Cross into Syria, Officials Say
Israeli ground forces have overtly crossed into Syrian territory for the first time since the 1973 October War, passing the demilitarized border zone, two Israeli officials said.
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.”… [end quote]
Using emotionally-loaded words like “grabs” is an obvious propaganda ploy.
Israel is occupying land which terrorists would otherwise occupy to attack Israel. Israel has long provided medical assistance to the people who live in this area, including transportation and treatment in hospitals in Israel.
Even if it was a land “grab” it’s par for the course in that part of the world. If the terrorists occupied Israel they would slaughter every man, woman and child as they have described in their own founding documents.
That is assuming the bunch’s first thought is terrorizing Israel, rather than consolidating it’s gains, or bringing other rebel groups to heel.
In the longer term, yes, it brings another group that the US calls “terrorists” right up to Israel’s border, instead of at a safe remove, in northern Syria.
If armed groups were pointing weapons at you and terrorizing you for the past 70 years…wouldn’t you think “longer term”…especially with so many unpredictable terrorist groups around?
Wendy