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”
Helicopter crashes in Libya during medical evacuation, killing 3
- The Matan Al-Sarra air base lies in an area under the control of Libya’s Benghazi-based eastern administration led by military strongman Khalifa Haftar, but authorities in the east did not comment on the crash
TRIPOLI: A helicopter has crashed in southeastern Libya, killing a medic and two crew members carrying out a medical evacuation, state media said Tuesday.
Libyan news agency LANA said the chopper went down overnight near an air base in the Kufra region about 60 kilometers north of the border between Libya and Chad.
The aircraft was attempting to evacuate a soldier who had been involved in a road accident in the desert, LANA said.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known and it was unclear what happened to the injured soldier.
Libyan media reports said two foreign nationals were among those on board who were killed, but this was not confirmed by authorities.
The Matan Al-Sarra air base lies in an area under the control of Libya’s Benghazi-based eastern administration led by military strongman Khalifa Haftar, but authorities in the east did not comment on the crash.
Libya remains split between the eastern administration and a UN-backed government in the west led by Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah. The LANA news agency is under the control of western authorities.
Libya has struggled to recover from chaos that erupted following a 2011 Arab Spring uprising that toppled and killed longtime ruler Muammar Qaddafi.
