The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it had “assisted” United Nations forces on Saturday after registering an attack by armed individuals near one of its positions in Hader (Syria), near the Golan Heights where Israel has its troops stationed.
“Recently, armed individuals attacked a UN position in the Hader area of Syria. The armed forces are assisting the UN forces in repelling the attack,” the military spokesman said.
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar added in a statement that Israeli troops "entered the buffer zone on the Syrian side of the border with Israel (the Golan Heights)" following the attacks on UN personnel.
They belong to the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), deployed as a peacekeeping mission in this buffer zone between Israel and Syria in the Golan Heights, following the Yom Kippur War in 1974.
“Israel is concerned about violations of the May 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement with Syria, which also pose a threat to its security and the security of its communities and citizens, particularly in the Golan Heights region,” Saar added.
The minister, however, reiterated that the State of Israel does not intend to intervene in the Syrian conflict.
Israel said it has reinforced its forces in the Golan Heights and will "continue to operate (there) to protect the State of Israel and its citizens."
On Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces reinforced its forces in the area, after having sent more troops and strengthened its air force in the Golan Heights the day before.
In addition, the armed forces conducted exercises today to prepare for “an emerging incident.”
All this comes as rebels in Syria continue to advance, with the rebels announcing that they have secured control of the capitals of three southern Syrian provinces.
“The Military Operations Command has completed combing and securing the city centers of Deraa, Al Suweida and Quneitra, thus declaring the centers of the three southern provinces completely liberated and free from the forces of the criminal regime,” said Lieutenant Colonel Hasan Abdelghani, who acts as military spokesman for the insurgent coalition, on his official account.
Both Deraa and Quneitra are territories very close to the Syrian border with the Golan Heights.
If confirmed, southern Syria will be practically in the hands of the insurgent coalition, led by the Levant Liberation Organization (Hayat Tahrir al Sham or HTS in Arabic), which launched an offensive against Syrian President Bashar Al Assad on November 27.
The recovery of Deraa is highly significant given that the city was the cradle of the popular uprising against Assad in 2011, within the framework of the so-called 'Arab Spring', which later spread to the rest of the Arab country.
Agencies contributed to this Aurora article