26 apr 2016
After Netanyahu declaration Israel would never leave the Golan, UN Security Council stresses that 'the status of the Golan remains unchanged' and Israeli annexation of the plateau is 'null and void and without international legal effect.
The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday voiced alarm over Israeli cities and towns about the Golan Heights on Syria's border with Israel, adding that its status remains unchanged.
Earlier this month Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel would never relinquish the Golan Heights, in a signal to Russia and the United States that the strategic plateau should be excluded from any deal on Syria's future. The declaration was condemned by the European Union, the United States, the Arab League and Syria.
"Council members expressed their deep concern over recent Israeli statements about the Golan, and stressed that the status of the Golan remains unchanged," China's UN Ambassador Liu Jieyi, president of the 15-nation Security Council this month, told reporters after a closed-door meeting.
He added that council resolution 497 of 1981 made clear that Israel's decision at the time to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration in the Golan was "null and void and without international legal effect."
Netanyahu's April 17 declaration came on the occasion of the first Israeli cabinet session on the Golan since the area was captured from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed in 1981. But Israel's annexation of the Golan has not won international recognition.
Past US-backed Israeli-Syrian peace efforts were predicated on a return of the Golan, where some 23,000 Israelis now live alongside roughly the same number of Druze Arabs loyal to Damascus.
Liu said the council supported a negotiated arrangement to settle the issue of the Golan.
There is a UN peacekeeping force deployed in the Golan called UNDOF. Established in 1974, UNDOF monitors a ceasefire line that has separated Israelis from Syrians in the Golan Heights since the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
The force has had to pull back from a number of positions on the Golan due to fighting between militants and Syrian government forces in the five-year-old Syrian civil war. Its peacekeepers have been fired upon and captured by militants on several occasions.
The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday voiced alarm over Israeli cities and towns about the Golan Heights on Syria's border with Israel, adding that its status remains unchanged.
Earlier this month Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel would never relinquish the Golan Heights, in a signal to Russia and the United States that the strategic plateau should be excluded from any deal on Syria's future. The declaration was condemned by the European Union, the United States, the Arab League and Syria.
"Council members expressed their deep concern over recent Israeli statements about the Golan, and stressed that the status of the Golan remains unchanged," China's UN Ambassador Liu Jieyi, president of the 15-nation Security Council this month, told reporters after a closed-door meeting.
He added that council resolution 497 of 1981 made clear that Israel's decision at the time to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration in the Golan was "null and void and without international legal effect."
Netanyahu's April 17 declaration came on the occasion of the first Israeli cabinet session on the Golan since the area was captured from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed in 1981. But Israel's annexation of the Golan has not won international recognition.
Past US-backed Israeli-Syrian peace efforts were predicated on a return of the Golan, where some 23,000 Israelis now live alongside roughly the same number of Druze Arabs loyal to Damascus.
Liu said the council supported a negotiated arrangement to settle the issue of the Golan.
There is a UN peacekeeping force deployed in the Golan called UNDOF. Established in 1974, UNDOF monitors a ceasefire line that has separated Israelis from Syrians in the Golan Heights since the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
The force has had to pull back from a number of positions on the Golan due to fighting between militants and Syrian government forces in the five-year-old Syrian civil war. Its peacekeepers have been fired upon and captured by militants on several occasions.
21 apr 2016
'We are doing everything to prevent the emergence of an additional front of terror against us at the Golan Heights,' the prime minister tells the Russian president during quick visit to Moscow.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Russian President Vladimir Putin at the beginning of their meeting on Thursday that the Golan Heights is a "red line" for Israel and it must remain a part of it.
"We are doing everything to prevent the emergence of an additional front of terror against us at the Golan Heights," he added.
Netanyahu arrived to Moscow to discuss closer military coordination to avoid incidents between Israel and Russia, which launched a military operation in support of Syrian President Bashar Assad last year.
The issue of the Golan Heights has become a contentious issue over the past week after Netanyahu declared at a special government meeting held in the Golan that the area will forever remain part of Israel and urged the international community "to recognize finally that the Golan will remain permanently under Israeli sovereignty."
Israel captured the Golan Heights in the 1967 Six-Day War and officially annexed it in 1981, in a move that has not won international recognition. Now, Israel is worried that it will be asked to return the Golan to Syria as part of an effort led by world powers to bring the civil war in the country to an end.
"In the 19 years the Golan was under Syrian occupation, it was used for bunkers, barbed wire fences, landmines, and aggression. It was used for war. In the 49 years it has been under Israeli rule, it has been used for agriculture, tourism, economic initiatives, construction. It is being used for peace," Netanyahu said.
The prime minister's declaration received condemnation from the Arab League and from Syria, as well as from the United States and European Union.
"Every administration on both sides of the aisle since 1967 has maintained that those territories are not part of Israel," US State Department Spokesman John Kirby told reporters this week.
Kirby went on to say that the conditions under which the Golan Heights should be returned must be decided through negotiations between the respective parties. "And obviously, the current situation in Syria makes it difficult to continue those efforts at this time," Kirby said.
A day later, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini reiterated that "The EU recognizes Israel within its pre-1967 boundaries, regardless of the (Israeli) government's claims on other areas, until a final settlement is reached."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Russian President Vladimir Putin at the beginning of their meeting on Thursday that the Golan Heights is a "red line" for Israel and it must remain a part of it.
"We are doing everything to prevent the emergence of an additional front of terror against us at the Golan Heights," he added.
Netanyahu arrived to Moscow to discuss closer military coordination to avoid incidents between Israel and Russia, which launched a military operation in support of Syrian President Bashar Assad last year.
The issue of the Golan Heights has become a contentious issue over the past week after Netanyahu declared at a special government meeting held in the Golan that the area will forever remain part of Israel and urged the international community "to recognize finally that the Golan will remain permanently under Israeli sovereignty."
Israel captured the Golan Heights in the 1967 Six-Day War and officially annexed it in 1981, in a move that has not won international recognition. Now, Israel is worried that it will be asked to return the Golan to Syria as part of an effort led by world powers to bring the civil war in the country to an end.
"In the 19 years the Golan was under Syrian occupation, it was used for bunkers, barbed wire fences, landmines, and aggression. It was used for war. In the 49 years it has been under Israeli rule, it has been used for agriculture, tourism, economic initiatives, construction. It is being used for peace," Netanyahu said.
The prime minister's declaration received condemnation from the Arab League and from Syria, as well as from the United States and European Union.
"Every administration on both sides of the aisle since 1967 has maintained that those territories are not part of Israel," US State Department Spokesman John Kirby told reporters this week.
Kirby went on to say that the conditions under which the Golan Heights should be returned must be decided through negotiations between the respective parties. "And obviously, the current situation in Syria makes it difficult to continue those efforts at this time," Kirby said.
A day later, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini reiterated that "The EU recognizes Israel within its pre-1967 boundaries, regardless of the (Israeli) government's claims on other areas, until a final settlement is reached."
19 apr 2016
EU foreign policy chief Mogherini and Prime Minister Netanyahu in joint press conference
Federica Mogherini stresses that the European Union 'recognizes Israel within its pre-1967 boundaries, regardless of the (Israeli) government's claims on other areas.'
The European Union's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini reiterated on Tuesday that the EU does not recognize Israel's claim to the Golan Heights, echoing a similar statement from the US the day before.
"The EU recognizes Israel within its pre-1967 boundaries, regardless of the (Israeli) government's claims on other areas, until a final settlement is reached," Mogherini said before a meeting in Brussels of international donors in support of the Palestinian economy.
"This is a shared position reaffirmed by the European Union and its member states," she added.
Israel captured 1,200 sq. km. of the Golan Heights during the 1967 Six-Day War. Its annexation of the territory in 1981 has never been recognized by the international community, and some 510 sq. km. rest under Syrian control.
In a special government meeting on Sunday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the Golan "will forever remain in Israel's hands," and urged the international community "to recognize finally that the Golan will remain permanently under Israeli sovereignty."
His declaration was condemned by the Arab League and Syria. "The occupied Golan is Arab land according UN Security Council resolutions," said Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Miqdad.
"We are prepared (to do) everything to restore the Golan employing all necessary means including military means," he added.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry also sent two letters to the UN Secretary General condemning the Israeli cabinet meeting that was held in the Golan Heights for the first time.
"Syria condemns in the strongest terms the holding of a provocative meeting of the occupation government in the occupied Syrian Golan," the letter said. "Syria emphasizes that the meeting is null and void. Syria calls on the UN and the UN Security Council to intervene immediately and to condemn the irresponsible meeting, and demand that the meeting that took place on Syrian soil not happen again."
On Monday, the US signalled its opposition to Netanyahu's statement as well. "Every administration on both sides of the aisle since 1967 has maintained that those territories are not part of Israel," US State Department Spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
Kirby went on to say that the conditions under which the Golan Heights should be returned must be decided through negotiations between the respective parties. "And obviously, the current situation in Syria makes it difficult to continue those efforts at this time," Kirby said.
Federica Mogherini stresses that the European Union 'recognizes Israel within its pre-1967 boundaries, regardless of the (Israeli) government's claims on other areas.'
The European Union's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini reiterated on Tuesday that the EU does not recognize Israel's claim to the Golan Heights, echoing a similar statement from the US the day before.
"The EU recognizes Israel within its pre-1967 boundaries, regardless of the (Israeli) government's claims on other areas, until a final settlement is reached," Mogherini said before a meeting in Brussels of international donors in support of the Palestinian economy.
"This is a shared position reaffirmed by the European Union and its member states," she added.
Israel captured 1,200 sq. km. of the Golan Heights during the 1967 Six-Day War. Its annexation of the territory in 1981 has never been recognized by the international community, and some 510 sq. km. rest under Syrian control.
In a special government meeting on Sunday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the Golan "will forever remain in Israel's hands," and urged the international community "to recognize finally that the Golan will remain permanently under Israeli sovereignty."
His declaration was condemned by the Arab League and Syria. "The occupied Golan is Arab land according UN Security Council resolutions," said Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Miqdad.
"We are prepared (to do) everything to restore the Golan employing all necessary means including military means," he added.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry also sent two letters to the UN Secretary General condemning the Israeli cabinet meeting that was held in the Golan Heights for the first time.
"Syria condemns in the strongest terms the holding of a provocative meeting of the occupation government in the occupied Syrian Golan," the letter said. "Syria emphasizes that the meeting is null and void. Syria calls on the UN and the UN Security Council to intervene immediately and to condemn the irresponsible meeting, and demand that the meeting that took place on Syrian soil not happen again."
On Monday, the US signalled its opposition to Netanyahu's statement as well. "Every administration on both sides of the aisle since 1967 has maintained that those territories are not part of Israel," US State Department Spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
Kirby went on to say that the conditions under which the Golan Heights should be returned must be decided through negotiations between the respective parties. "And obviously, the current situation in Syria makes it difficult to continue those efforts at this time," Kirby said.
US VP Joe Biden
US State Department spokesman, 'territories are not part of Israel,' Vice President Joe Biden says settlements leading Israel towards a 'one-state reality.'
The United States signalled its opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent declaration that the Golan Heights will forever remain a part of Israel, stressing on Monday that Washington did not consider the Golan a part of Israel.
"Every administration on both sides of the aisle since 1967 has maintained that those territories are not part of Israel," US State Department Spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
Kirby went on to say that the conditions under which the Golan Heights should be returned must be decided through negotiations between the respective parties. "And obviously, the current situation in Syria makes it difficult to continue those efforts at this time," Kirby said.
Meanwhile, US Vice President Joe Biden acknowledged "overwhelming frustration" with the Israeli government and said the systemic expansion of Jewish settlements was moving Israel toward a dangerous "one-state reality" and in the wrong direction.
Addressing J Street's annual gala, Biden said despite disagreements with Israel over settlements or the Iran nuclear deal, the United States had an obligation to push Israel toward a two-state solution to end the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
"We have an overwhelming obligation, notwithstanding our sometimes overwhelming frustration with the Israeli government, to push them as hard as we can toward what they know in their gut is the only ultimate solution, a two-state solution, while at the same time be an absolute guarantor of their security," Biden said.
Biden said his recent meetings with Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas left him discouraged over the prospects for peace at present.
"There is at the moment no political will that I observed among Israelis or Palestinians to move forward with serious negotiations," Biden said, "The trust that is necessary to take risks for peace is fractured on both sides." He said both Palestinians and Israelis needed to tamp down rhetoric that fueled violence and actions that undermined confidence in negotiations.
Efforts by the Palestinian Authority to join the international criminal court were "only damaging moves that take us further from the path to peace," he said.
For Israel's part, Biden said the "steady, systematic expansion" of Jewish settlements on disputed land wanted by the Palestinians moved "Israel in the wrong direction."
"They are moving toward a one-state reality and that reality is dangerous," Biden said, warning that moving in that direction would mean an endless cycle of conflict and retribution.
Biden condemned the bombing of a bus and attack on another in Jerusalem on Monday by "misguided cowards" and offered prayers to the injured and their families.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State John Kerry echoed Biden's remarks, also addressing J Street's gala. “We will continue to try to advance a two-state solution, the only solution, because anything else will not be Jewish, and it will not be democratic.”
US State Department spokesman, 'territories are not part of Israel,' Vice President Joe Biden says settlements leading Israel towards a 'one-state reality.'
The United States signalled its opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent declaration that the Golan Heights will forever remain a part of Israel, stressing on Monday that Washington did not consider the Golan a part of Israel.
"Every administration on both sides of the aisle since 1967 has maintained that those territories are not part of Israel," US State Department Spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
Kirby went on to say that the conditions under which the Golan Heights should be returned must be decided through negotiations between the respective parties. "And obviously, the current situation in Syria makes it difficult to continue those efforts at this time," Kirby said.
Meanwhile, US Vice President Joe Biden acknowledged "overwhelming frustration" with the Israeli government and said the systemic expansion of Jewish settlements was moving Israel toward a dangerous "one-state reality" and in the wrong direction.
Addressing J Street's annual gala, Biden said despite disagreements with Israel over settlements or the Iran nuclear deal, the United States had an obligation to push Israel toward a two-state solution to end the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
"We have an overwhelming obligation, notwithstanding our sometimes overwhelming frustration with the Israeli government, to push them as hard as we can toward what they know in their gut is the only ultimate solution, a two-state solution, while at the same time be an absolute guarantor of their security," Biden said.
Biden said his recent meetings with Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas left him discouraged over the prospects for peace at present.
"There is at the moment no political will that I observed among Israelis or Palestinians to move forward with serious negotiations," Biden said, "The trust that is necessary to take risks for peace is fractured on both sides." He said both Palestinians and Israelis needed to tamp down rhetoric that fueled violence and actions that undermined confidence in negotiations.
Efforts by the Palestinian Authority to join the international criminal court were "only damaging moves that take us further from the path to peace," he said.
For Israel's part, Biden said the "steady, systematic expansion" of Jewish settlements on disputed land wanted by the Palestinians moved "Israel in the wrong direction."
"They are moving toward a one-state reality and that reality is dangerous," Biden said, warning that moving in that direction would mean an endless cycle of conflict and retribution.
Biden condemned the bombing of a bus and attack on another in Jerusalem on Monday by "misguided cowards" and offered prayers to the injured and their families.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State John Kerry echoed Biden's remarks, also addressing J Street's gala. “We will continue to try to advance a two-state solution, the only solution, because anything else will not be Jewish, and it will not be democratic.”
17 apr 2016
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the Golan Heights would “forever remain in Israel's hands,” during a controversial cabinet meeting held in the annexed territory on Sunday.
Israel seized 1,200 square kilometers (460 square miles) of the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 and later annexed it, in a move never recognized by the international community.
Israel’s Channel 2 reported on Friday that Israeli officials had decided to hold a meeting in the area as a gesture of defiance, as world leaders work on drafting an agreement to end the five-year civil war in Syria which calls on Israel to hand back the annexed Golan to Syria.
“I chose to hold this festive Cabinet meeting on the Golan Heights in order to deliver a clear message: The Golan Heights will forever remain in Israel's hands. Israel will never come down from the Golan Heights,” Netanyahu said.
“The time has come for the international community to recognize reality, especially two basic facts. One, whatever is beyond the border, the boundary itself will not change. Two, after 50 years, the time has come for the international community to finally recognize that the Golan Heights will remain under Israel's sovereignty permanently," he added.
Netanyahu said that “many countries in the region” -- without specifying which -- had already recognized Israel’s sovereignty in the occupied Golan Heights, adding that “in the stormy region around us, Israel is the stabilizing factor; Israel is the solution, not the problem.”
The Syrian government condemned “in the strongest of terms” on Sunday the Israeli cabinet’s decision to hold its “provocative” meeting in the Golan Heights, Syrian national news agency SANA reported.
SANA reported that the Syrian Foreign Ministry sent letters to the UN Security Council and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, calling “on the UN and the international community to assume their responsibility in implementing relevant UN and Security Council resolutions and terminate the occupation of the Syrian Golan in accordance with Security Council Resolution 497,” which states that the Israeli occupation of the Golan is “null and void and without international legal effect.”
The Syrian government letters further called on the UN to “condemn all forms of Israeli terrorism against the Syrian people in the occupied Syrian Golan and against the integrity and unity of the Syrian Arab Republic’s territory and people, noting that Israeli policies pose a threat to security and stability in Syria, the region, and the world.”
Al-Marsad, the Arab Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Syrian Golan, estimates that around 130,000 Syrians were displaced by Israel from the Golan during the 1967 takeover, a population that has now grown to around 430,000, many of whom live in areas hit by recent violence in Syria.
The Israeli military tightened the northern border of the occupied Golan last summer, reportedly in effort to prevent access to Syria by Druze living in the occupied Golan who said they would cross the border in order to protect their brethren in the ongoing Syrian civil war.
Israel seized 1,200 square kilometers (460 square miles) of the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 and later annexed it, in a move never recognized by the international community.
Israel’s Channel 2 reported on Friday that Israeli officials had decided to hold a meeting in the area as a gesture of defiance, as world leaders work on drafting an agreement to end the five-year civil war in Syria which calls on Israel to hand back the annexed Golan to Syria.
“I chose to hold this festive Cabinet meeting on the Golan Heights in order to deliver a clear message: The Golan Heights will forever remain in Israel's hands. Israel will never come down from the Golan Heights,” Netanyahu said.
“The time has come for the international community to recognize reality, especially two basic facts. One, whatever is beyond the border, the boundary itself will not change. Two, after 50 years, the time has come for the international community to finally recognize that the Golan Heights will remain under Israel's sovereignty permanently," he added.
Netanyahu said that “many countries in the region” -- without specifying which -- had already recognized Israel’s sovereignty in the occupied Golan Heights, adding that “in the stormy region around us, Israel is the stabilizing factor; Israel is the solution, not the problem.”
The Syrian government condemned “in the strongest of terms” on Sunday the Israeli cabinet’s decision to hold its “provocative” meeting in the Golan Heights, Syrian national news agency SANA reported.
SANA reported that the Syrian Foreign Ministry sent letters to the UN Security Council and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, calling “on the UN and the international community to assume their responsibility in implementing relevant UN and Security Council resolutions and terminate the occupation of the Syrian Golan in accordance with Security Council Resolution 497,” which states that the Israeli occupation of the Golan is “null and void and without international legal effect.”
The Syrian government letters further called on the UN to “condemn all forms of Israeli terrorism against the Syrian people in the occupied Syrian Golan and against the integrity and unity of the Syrian Arab Republic’s territory and people, noting that Israeli policies pose a threat to security and stability in Syria, the region, and the world.”
Al-Marsad, the Arab Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Syrian Golan, estimates that around 130,000 Syrians were displaced by Israel from the Golan during the 1967 takeover, a population that has now grown to around 430,000, many of whom live in areas hit by recent violence in Syria.
The Israeli military tightened the northern border of the occupied Golan last summer, reportedly in effort to prevent access to Syria by Druze living in the occupied Golan who said they would cross the border in order to protect their brethren in the ongoing Syrian civil war.
22 mar 2016
A statistical report issued, on the occasion of Mother's Day, by the Action Group for Palestinians of Syria showed that 446 Palestinian refugee women died due to the ongoing war in Syria.
Quds Press said that the report on Monday documented names of 75 Palestinian female prisoners held in Syrian jails.
The number of Palestinian arrested women is likely to dramatically increase, the report pointed out. It was highlighted in the report that there is a difficulty in collecting data of victims and prisoners in light of the Syrian secrecy in this regard.
The Action Group asked international human rights institutions to pressure the Syrian regime in order to release Palestinian refugee women from its jails and to release the names of the arrested women. It also called on all Palestinian parties to prioritize the issue of Palestinian refugee captives in Syrian jails and to work on their immediate release.
Quds Press said that the report on Monday documented names of 75 Palestinian female prisoners held in Syrian jails.
The number of Palestinian arrested women is likely to dramatically increase, the report pointed out. It was highlighted in the report that there is a difficulty in collecting data of victims and prisoners in light of the Syrian secrecy in this regard.
The Action Group asked international human rights institutions to pressure the Syrian regime in order to release Palestinian refugee women from its jails and to release the names of the arrested women. It also called on all Palestinian parties to prioritize the issue of Palestinian refugee captives in Syrian jails and to work on their immediate release.
7 mar 2016
The Action Group for Palestinians in Syria said that the Syrian security forces continue their mum about the fate of 1,061 Palestinian refugees in their prisons where hundreds of others died due to torture.
The Group said, in a statement on Sunday, that documenting such cases is too difficult in light of the tight-lipped policy of the security forces and due to the fact that the families of refugees refrain from talking on the arrest of their sons in and out of the camps for their safety.
The Group documented 186 cases of arrest in different refugee camps including 186 detainees in Aideen, 141 in Yarmouk, 107 in Khan al-Sheikh, 86 in Nayrab, 78 in Raml, 53 in Hamah, and 410 in other locations and camps.
The Group also underlined that the Palestinian refugees arrested in Syrian jails are exposed to torture and 435 of them died as a result of torture. 77 of them were recognized by their families through leaked photos.
The Group said, in a statement on Sunday, that documenting such cases is too difficult in light of the tight-lipped policy of the security forces and due to the fact that the families of refugees refrain from talking on the arrest of their sons in and out of the camps for their safety.
The Group documented 186 cases of arrest in different refugee camps including 186 detainees in Aideen, 141 in Yarmouk, 107 in Khan al-Sheikh, 86 in Nayrab, 78 in Raml, 53 in Hamah, and 410 in other locations and camps.
The Group also underlined that the Palestinian refugees arrested in Syrian jails are exposed to torture and 435 of them died as a result of torture. 77 of them were recognized by their families through leaked photos.
18 feb 2016
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports 3 missiles hit a Syrian military facility south of Damascus; Hezbollah-affiliated al-Manar denies reports; IDF hasn't commented.
Israel allegedly struck a Syrian military outpost south of Damascus on Wednesday night, according to reports by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The regime outpost in Jabal Al-Mane' was reportedly hit by three missiles, resulting in damage to the site.
The report was also quoted in the Saudi owned Al-Arabiya TV station, but the Assad regime has yet to release an official statement. Hezbollah-owned TV station Al-Manar refuted the claims of a strike.
There have been occasional reports of Israeli airstrikes in Syria by Arabic media, the last time being last December, when Hezbollah operative Samir Kuntar was assasinated in an attack attributed to Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said several weeks before the alleged assasination that Israel does sometimes conduct operations in Syria, saying "we operate in Syria periodically in order to mitigate the threat of Syria being turned into a another front against Israel."
He continued, "We are working against the opening of an additional terror front that Iran is trying to open on the Golan, and in order to mitigate the transfer of deadly weapons from Syria to Lebanon. This is something which we will continue to do."
If it turns out that the IDF did in fact carry out strikes against Syrian targets over the last several months, it shows the significance of the coordination mechanism in place with Russia.
Israel allegedly struck a Syrian military outpost south of Damascus on Wednesday night, according to reports by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The regime outpost in Jabal Al-Mane' was reportedly hit by three missiles, resulting in damage to the site.
The report was also quoted in the Saudi owned Al-Arabiya TV station, but the Assad regime has yet to release an official statement. Hezbollah-owned TV station Al-Manar refuted the claims of a strike.
There have been occasional reports of Israeli airstrikes in Syria by Arabic media, the last time being last December, when Hezbollah operative Samir Kuntar was assasinated in an attack attributed to Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said several weeks before the alleged assasination that Israel does sometimes conduct operations in Syria, saying "we operate in Syria periodically in order to mitigate the threat of Syria being turned into a another front against Israel."
He continued, "We are working against the opening of an additional terror front that Iran is trying to open on the Golan, and in order to mitigate the transfer of deadly weapons from Syria to Lebanon. This is something which we will continue to do."
If it turns out that the IDF did in fact carry out strikes against Syrian targets over the last several months, it shows the significance of the coordination mechanism in place with Russia.
21 jan 2016
Israeli army UAV landing at an airfield in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, on Jan. 20, 2015
The Israeli military has finished training exercises in preparation for a potential “long-term, multi-front” conflict with Syria and Lebanon, according to a statement released by the army.
Major General Aviv Kochavi said, in the statement, that the training prepared military forces to “implement operational plans in all arenas, while facing Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, both in Syria and Lebanon.” The general added that forces “simulated vast maneuvers, substantial fire power, and attack of thousands of targets in all combat areas, with high efficiency, including residential areas exploited by the enemy."
Since conflict erupted in Syria in 2011, a number of rockets and mortar rounds -- mostly stray -- have hit the Israeli-occupied Golan, prompting occasional armed responses.
Israel has avoided large-scale involvement in the conflict in neighboring Syria, according to Ma'an, but opposes Bashar Assad’s regime and has reportedly carried out strikes on Iranian arms transfers, to Hezbollah, through Syria.
Last month, an Israeli airstrike in Syria's capital of Damascus killed top a Hezbollah official, Samir Kuntar, as well as several Syrian civilians, according to international media reports.
The day after three rockets were fired from southern Lebanon and landed in open areas in northern Israel, which responded with "targeted artillery fire" into southern Lebanon.
Lebanese security officials said at the time that the rockets launched into Israel were reportedly transported from Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, and launched by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine movement, in "symbolic retaliation" for Kuntar's death.
The Israeli military has finished training exercises in preparation for a potential “long-term, multi-front” conflict with Syria and Lebanon, according to a statement released by the army.
Major General Aviv Kochavi said, in the statement, that the training prepared military forces to “implement operational plans in all arenas, while facing Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, both in Syria and Lebanon.” The general added that forces “simulated vast maneuvers, substantial fire power, and attack of thousands of targets in all combat areas, with high efficiency, including residential areas exploited by the enemy."
Since conflict erupted in Syria in 2011, a number of rockets and mortar rounds -- mostly stray -- have hit the Israeli-occupied Golan, prompting occasional armed responses.
Israel has avoided large-scale involvement in the conflict in neighboring Syria, according to Ma'an, but opposes Bashar Assad’s regime and has reportedly carried out strikes on Iranian arms transfers, to Hezbollah, through Syria.
Last month, an Israeli airstrike in Syria's capital of Damascus killed top a Hezbollah official, Samir Kuntar, as well as several Syrian civilians, according to international media reports.
The day after three rockets were fired from southern Lebanon and landed in open areas in northern Israel, which responded with "targeted artillery fire" into southern Lebanon.
Lebanese security officials said at the time that the rockets launched into Israel were reportedly transported from Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, and launched by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine movement, in "symbolic retaliation" for Kuntar's death.
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