The US State Department said on Monday that Israel was acting in self-defence when its military invaded Syrian territory beyond the demilitarised buffer zone, following the removal of the Bashar al-Assad government by rebel groups.
On Sunday, Israeli forces moved from the occupied Golan Heights into a buffer zone between Israel and Syria, saying the end of Assad’s rule meant that the 1974 “disengagement agreement” between the two countries had collapsed and “Syrian forces have abandoned their positions”.
“I directed the [Israeli military] yesterday to seize the buffer zone and the commanding positions nearby. We will not allow any hostile force to establish itself on our border,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
However, several Israeli officials told The New York Times that Israeli forces advanced beyond that buffer zone and crossed into Syrian territory.
Israel’s military was in control of the Syrian side of Mount Hermon and several other locations, according to the report.
The Israeli military’s chief of staff, Herzi Halevi, also said on Saturday night that Israel “deployed troops into Syrian territory”. Halevi didn’t elaborate, but his comments appear to conclude that Israeli forces advanced beyond the buffer zone.
In a press briefing at the State Department on Monday, spokesperson Matthew Miller defended Israel’s incursion, using Netanyahu’s argument.
“The Syrian army abandoned its positions in the area around the negotiated Israeli-Syrian buffer zone, which potentially creates a vacuum that could have been filled by terrorist organisations that would threaten the state of Israel,” Miller said.
“Every country has the right to take actions against terrorist organisations.”
Miller said it was important that there was “security along that border” and that “Israel has said these actions are temporary”.
“Ultimately, what we want to see is lasting security between Israel and Syria, and that means we support all sides upholding the 1974 disengagement agreement,” he added.
Israel also bombed 100 different sites inside Syria over the weekend.
Blinken warns of Islamic State group resurgence
In remarks given at a separate State Department event on Monday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US would not allow the Islamic State (IS) group to regain a foothold in Syria.
On Sunday, the US launched dozens of air strikes in central Syria, saying they were targeting IS sites.
“History shows how quickly moments of promise can descend into conflict and violence. ISIS will try to use this period to re-establish its capabilities, to create safe havens,” Blinken said, using another acronym for the group.
“As our precision strikes over the weekend demonstrate, we are determined not to let that happen.”
The US has welcomed the ousting of Assad, which came as a result of a rebel offensive that started on 27 November. The rebels quickly captured Syria’s largest city, Aleppo, and within two weeks, had gained control of the capital, Damascus, with the former Syrian president fleeing the country to Russia.
The Biden administration said they would be closely monitoring the situation, emphasising that the group that led the rebel offensive, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, is a US-designated terrorist group.
On Sunday, a senior Arab official briefed by US officials told Middle East Eye the US was discussing the merits of removing a $10m bounty on HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, more commonly known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani.
