Israel army says deploying in Syria buffer zone

The Israeli army said Sunday it had deployed forces to a demilitarised buffer zone in southwest Syria abutting the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights after Damascus fell to rebel forces, reports AFP.

Israel had already said the day before, as the Islamist-led rebels swiftly advanced across Syria, that its soldiers had entered the UN-patrolled buffer zone to assist peacekeepers in repelling an attack.

On Sunday, the army announced a troop deployment there, citing "the possible entry of armed individuals into the buffer zone".

"Following the recent events in Syria... the IDF [army] has deployed forces in the buffer zone and in several other places necessary for its defence, to ensure the safety of the communities of the Golan Heights and the citizens of Israel," the Israeli military said in a statement.

Israeli forces "will continue to operate as long as necessary in order to preserve the buffer zone and defend Israel", it added.

The statement stressed that the Israeli military "is not interfering with the internal events in Syria".

Since the rebel coalition, led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, began its renewed offensive against the forces of President Bashar al-Assad on 27 November, Syrian government forces have left positions near the Israeli-held Golan, according to a war monitor.

Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said on Saturday that army forces had withdrawn from positions in Quneitra province, which includes part of the Golan Heights.

Most of the plateau has been occupied since 1967 by Israel, which later annexed it in a move not recognised by most of the international community.

The buffer zone was established in 1974, separating the Israeli-held and Syrian territories, with UN peacekeepers stationed there since.

A UN Peacekeeping spokesperson said on Saturday that UNDOF personnel had observed "unidentified armed individuals in the area of separation, including approximately 20 who went into one of the mission's positions in the northern part of the area of separation".

The Israeli military said it was "assisting the UN forces in repelling the attack".

The UN spokesperson said that "peacekeepers continue to carry out their mandated activities on the Golan".

On Sunday, Lebanese media outlets reported an Israeli strike on Quneitra targeting an arms depot. The Israeli army declined to comment.

Early in Syria's war, which began in 2011 following the repression of anti-government protests, rebel forces and jihadist groups had taken over parts of Quneitra province.

In August 2014, Islamist rebels attacked UNDOF and took more than 40 Fijian peacekeepers hostage, holding them captive for almost two weeks.