Israel establishes 'defence zone' in southern Syria: Defence minister

Jerusalem, Dec 10 (IANS) Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that Israel was creating a "sterile defence zone" in southern Syria to prevent hostile forces from approaching its borders. 

Speaking during a visit to the Navy base in Haifa, Katz said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had instructed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to establish the zone, which would be "free of weapons and armed threats" and created "without a permanent Israeli presence."

He did not provide details on the zone's geographic boundaries or the operations Israel would use to establish it, Xinhua news agency reported.

Katz added that Israeli forces are "currently completing their deployment in the buffer zone and strategic areas to protect the Golan Heights and Israeli citizens." The aim is to prevent hostile groups from consolidating near Israel's border in the aftermath of Bashar al-Assad's downfall, he said.

Israel continued to strike Syrian army bases on Tuesday following an overnight large-scale attack targeting the Syrian fleet in Mina al-Bayda Bay and the port of Latakia on the Syrian coast. The IDF said "numerous" vessels equipped with "dozens" of sea-to-sea missiles were destroyed. According to the military, Israel has conducted about 250 airstrikes in Syria since the collapse of the Assad administration.

The IDF denied reports that Israeli troops had advanced within 25 kilometers of Damascus.

In remarks directed at Mohammed al-Bashir and Syria's new transitional government, Katz warned against following Assad's path or maintaining alliances with Iran. "We will not allow an extremist Islamic entity to operate against Israel beyond its border and endanger its citizens," Katz said. "We will do whatever is necessary to eliminate the threat."

The buffer zone is a demilitarized area established by the 1974 disengagement agreement between Israeli and Syrian forces.

The incursion has drawn criticism from regional countries, including Iran, Iraq, Türkiye, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, with the international community calling for respect for Syria's sovereignty. 

--IANS

int/as