UNITED NATIONS: Israeli troops that have moved into the buffer zone on the edge of the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights “constitute a violation” of the 1974 disengagement agreement between Israel and Syria, a UN spokesman said Monday.
The UN peacekeeping force deployed in the Golan Heights, known as UNDOF, “informed the Israeli counterparts that these actions would constitute a violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
He said that the Israeli forces that entered the zone were still present in at least three locations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday he had ordered the army to “seize” the demilitarized zone in the Syrian-controlled part of the Golan Heights after militants swept Syrian president Bashar Assad from power.
Most of the Golan Heights plateau has been occupied since 1967 by Israel, which later annexed it in a move not recognized by most of the international community.
In 1974 a buffer zone was established to separate the Israeli-held and Syrian territories, with UN peacekeepers stationed there.
Amid the downfall of Assad, Israel announced a troop deployment to the Golan Heights citing “the possible entry of armed individuals into the buffer zone.”
Israeli forces “will continue to operate as long as necessary in order to preserve the buffer zone and defend Israel,” it added.
Israeli troops “have entered the area of separation and have been moving within that area where they remain in at least three locations throughout the area of separation,” Dujarric said.
“There should be no military forces or activities in the area of separation. And Israel and Syria must continue to uphold the terms of that 1974 agreement, and preserve stability in the Golan,” he said.
Israeli army in Golan buffer zone violates 1974 deal: UN
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Israeli army in Golan buffer zone violates 1974 deal: UN
- Amid the downfall of Assad, Israel announced a troop deployment to the Golan Heights citing “the possible entry of armed individuals into the buffer zone”
Israeli strike kills 2 Palestinians in Gaza, health officials say, the latest deaths as truce stalls
Israeli strike kills 2 Palestinians in Gaza, health officials say, the latest deaths as truce stalls
- Deadly Israeli strikes have repeatedly disrupted the truce since it took effect on Oct. 10
- The military said the person they killed was a militant and had posed a threat to troops
GAZA CITY: An Israeli strike on Thursday killed at least two Palestinians and wounded five others east of Gaza City, according to Fadel Naeem, director of Al-Ahli Hospital, where the casualties arrived.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment.
Deadly Israeli strikes have repeatedly disrupted the truce since it took effect on Oct. 10. The escalating Palestinian toll has prompted many in Gaza to say it feels like the war has continued unabated.
Separately, Israel’s military said Thursday that soldiers in southern Gaza had killed a Palestinian who had crossed the line dividing the Israeli-held area of the strip from the area most Palestinians are crammed into. Such shootings have become a common occurrence in the territory since the ceasefire took hold.
The military said the person they killed was a militant and had posed a threat to troops. It maintains that claim when describing most cases of Palestinians shot down in the vicinity of the line, even though some civilians have been killed, including young children, said a military official who spoke to AP on the condition of anonymity in line with military rules.
