Israel extends army presence in Syria buffer zone 'through winter'

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz instructed the Israeli army to remain stationed in the buffer zone on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon during the winter months following its occupation of the area on December 8, the day armed anti-regime forces marched into Damascus, forcing Bashar al Assad to flee to Russia.

“Due to what is happening in Syria, there is a huge security importance to our holding of the Hermon peak,” Katz said in a statement.

Everything must be done to ensure the Israeli army's preparations in the area, allowing the troops to stay in the harsh weather conditions, he added.

The decision to extend the army's stay in the occupied zone came after Katz, Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, and other military officials met late Thursday to assess the situation in Syria.

Israeli forces have entered 2-10 kilometres deep within the demilitarised buffer zone along the border with Syria, an Israeli source, who preferred to remain unnamed, told Anadolu.

He, however, declined to specify the Syrian villages in the buffer zone where the Israeli forces are deployed for "security reasons.”

Israel captured the buffer zone after armed anti-regime forces seized Damascus on December 8, sending Bashar al Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fleeing to Russia after a 13-year civil war and 53 years of his family rule.

According to the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), the buffer zone “extends over 75 kilometres in length and ranges in width from approximately 10 kilometres in the centre to 200 meters in the far south.”