Tel Aviv, December 8 (IANS). Israel has deployed its troops to new positions within the buffer zone on the Israel-Syria border in the Golan Heights. The Jewish nation has taken this step after the fall of the Assad regime in Syria.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has confirmed the move. This is the first such deployment since the Agreement on Disengagement was signed in 1974.
In a post on Israel Defense Forces To ensure the safety of Israeli citizens.”
It is written in the post that this step has been taken in view of a new assessment and ‘the possibility of gunmen entering the buffer zone’.
“We emphasize that the IDF does not interfere in events taking place in Syria,” the security forces said.
The deployment comes amid significant turmoil in Syria. Syrian rebel groups have claimed to have captured the capital Damascus. Several media outlets, quoting rebel forces, reported that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has left the country.
Syrian rebel groups said rebel fighters entered Damascus early Sunday, according to the Britain-based war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Hundreds of government troops have been ordered to withdraw from Damascus International Airport, the monitor said. Some government soldiers were seen taking off their military uniforms and wearing civilian clothes.
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali said in a video published on Facebook shortly after rebels claimed to have entered Damascus that he was ready to ‘cooperate’ with any leadership chosen by the people and urged civilians to stop using public property. Appealed not to vandalize.
–IANS
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