The United Nations has also criticized Israel for violating the 1974 agreement.
On Sunday, as Damascus fell to rebels and Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) troops were fighting with Israel near the Golan Heights. He said he had entered the buffer zone between Syria. He explained that the purpose of the invasion was to counter any possible threat posed by the disorder in Syria.
“We will not allow any hostile force to establish itself on our borders,” he declared.
Over the next 48 hours, Israel conducted hundreds of sorties against Syrian army and naval facilities, with a particular focus on chemical weapons stockpiles and missile bases.
The IDF’s incursion into the buffer zone was criticized by Russia and Saudi Arabia, but the US State Department defended it through spokesman Matthew Miller, saying at a press conference that “Syrian forces have abandoned positions in the area… to be filled by terrorist organizations.” There could be a potential vacuum.”
However, “Israel says these actions are temporary to protect its borders. These are not permanent actions…We stand with all sides that support the 1974 Military Withdrawal Agreement. I support it,” he added.
