2 aug 2018
The Russian Presidential Special Envoy to Syria, Alexander Lavrentyev, confirmed the withdrawal of Iranian forces to a distance of 85 km, from their former positions, near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights border.
Israel has reached an agreement with Russia, the power-backer of the Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime, to remove Iranian forces in Syria to within 85 kilometers from the Israeli Golan Heights border.
The Iranian withdrawal came under Russian supervision not to raise Israeli concerns over their border security.
Lavrentyev said, according to Ma’an News Agency, that “as we took into account the Israeli concerns, we managed to attain the pullout of Iranian units 85 kilometers from the Israeli border.”
Lavrentyev added that Russia believes that Israel’s concerns about Iranian presence near the Golan Heights border are decreasing.
Last month, Israel rejected an offer by Russia to keep Iranian forces in Syria, while 100 km from the Golan border. Reportedly, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Lavrentyev that the proposed 100 km distance was not enough.
Netanyahu’s main concern is to ensure that Iranian forces, who are fighting alongside Assad, along with Hezbollah, which is a Lebanese militant group, are all as far off from the Israeli border as possible.
Previous to that, Israel turned down another offer by Russia in which Iranian forces would be kept about 80 km from the border.
Netanyahu had also met with the visiting delegation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov last week to discuss regional developments, as well as Assad’s advance in southwest Syria and concerns related to the Israeli Golan Heights border security.
Israel has reached an agreement with Russia, the power-backer of the Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime, to remove Iranian forces in Syria to within 85 kilometers from the Israeli Golan Heights border.
The Iranian withdrawal came under Russian supervision not to raise Israeli concerns over their border security.
Lavrentyev said, according to Ma’an News Agency, that “as we took into account the Israeli concerns, we managed to attain the pullout of Iranian units 85 kilometers from the Israeli border.”
Lavrentyev added that Russia believes that Israel’s concerns about Iranian presence near the Golan Heights border are decreasing.
Last month, Israel rejected an offer by Russia to keep Iranian forces in Syria, while 100 km from the Golan border. Reportedly, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Lavrentyev that the proposed 100 km distance was not enough.
Netanyahu’s main concern is to ensure that Iranian forces, who are fighting alongside Assad, along with Hezbollah, which is a Lebanese militant group, are all as far off from the Israeli border as possible.
Previous to that, Israel turned down another offer by Russia in which Iranian forces would be kept about 80 km from the border.
Netanyahu had also met with the visiting delegation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov last week to discuss regional developments, as well as Assad’s advance in southwest Syria and concerns related to the Israeli Golan Heights border security.
31 july 2018
Syrian government forces have discovered Israeli-made bombs along with loads of munitions and military hardware inside weapons caches belonging to foreign-sponsored Takfiri militants in the country's southern province of Rif Dimashq.
Syria’s official news agency SANA reported that Syrian army troopers launched clean-up operations in the towns of Babbila and Yalda in addition to Beit Sahem village on Tuesday, and discovered various types of ammunition, including mortar shells, tens of improvised explosive devices and Israeli-made bombs and grenades, in the liberated areas.
An unnamed field commander said Syrian government forces also found a number of anti-personnel mines, rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launchers and their rockets, machineguns, automatic rifles, chemical substances used in making bombs as well as telecommunication devices.
He added that Syrian soldiers, in cooperation with fighters from pro-government popular defense groups, are combing towns and villages on the southern outskirts of the capital Damascus of hidden ordnances, and preparing ground for the return of displaced locals to their homes.
Syrian army cuts off Daesh supply routes in al-Yarmouk basin
Elsewhere in Syria’s southwestern province of Dara’a, government forces regained control over al-Shajara town in al-Yarmouk basin after eliminating the last pockets of Daesh Takfiri terrorists.
SANA reported that many extremists were killed and injured in the process.
The report added that army soldiers discovered weapons caches, bomb-making workshops and underground prisons as they conducted a counter-terrorism operation in the town.
Daesh terrorists had reportedly converted a gym in al-Shajara into a workshop for making explosive devices and mortar shells.
Government troops also found militant field hospitals, where large amounts of Saudi, Jordanian and Kuwaiti medicine were being kept.
Syrian army unit are now advancing towards the villages of Beit Ara, Ma’aryia and al-Qasir, which serve as the last militant redoubts in al-Yarmouk basin.
Syrian army gains full control of Yarmouk basin from Daesh
Meanwhile, Syrian army and its allies have completely liberated Yarmouk basin.
Lebanon-based Arabic-language al-Manar television network, which is affiliated to Hezbollah resistance movement, reported that Syrian troopers and fighters from popular defense groups established full control over the area after routing Daesh militants.
Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian government says the Israeli regime and its Western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist groups wreaking havoc in the country.
On May 21, the General Command of the Syrian Army and Armed Forces announced in a statement that complete security was restored to Damascus and its countryside after al-Hajar al-Aswad district and al-Yarmouk camp were totally purged of Daesh terrorists.
The development was preceded by flushing the Takfiris out of the towns of Yalda, Babbila and Beit Sahem on the southern outskirts of Damascus.
An unnamed field commander said Syrian government forces also found a number of anti-personnel mines, rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launchers and their rockets, machineguns, automatic rifles, chemical substances used in making bombs as well as telecommunication devices.
He added that Syrian soldiers, in cooperation with fighters from pro-government popular defense groups, are combing towns and villages on the southern outskirts of the capital Damascus of hidden ordnances, and preparing ground for the return of displaced locals to their homes.
Syrian army cuts off Daesh supply routes in al-Yarmouk basin
Elsewhere in Syria’s southwestern province of Dara’a, government forces regained control over al-Shajara town in al-Yarmouk basin after eliminating the last pockets of Daesh Takfiri terrorists.
SANA reported that many extremists were killed and injured in the process.
The report added that army soldiers discovered weapons caches, bomb-making workshops and underground prisons as they conducted a counter-terrorism operation in the town.
Daesh terrorists had reportedly converted a gym in al-Shajara into a workshop for making explosive devices and mortar shells.
Government troops also found militant field hospitals, where large amounts of Saudi, Jordanian and Kuwaiti medicine were being kept.
Syrian army unit are now advancing towards the villages of Beit Ara, Ma’aryia and al-Qasir, which serve as the last militant redoubts in al-Yarmouk basin.
Syrian army gains full control of Yarmouk basin from Daesh
Meanwhile, Syrian army and its allies have completely liberated Yarmouk basin.
Lebanon-based Arabic-language al-Manar television network, which is affiliated to Hezbollah resistance movement, reported that Syrian troopers and fighters from popular defense groups established full control over the area after routing Daesh militants.
Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian government says the Israeli regime and its Western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist groups wreaking havoc in the country.
On May 21, the General Command of the Syrian Army and Armed Forces announced in a statement that complete security was restored to Damascus and its countryside after al-Hajar al-Aswad district and al-Yarmouk camp were totally purged of Daesh terrorists.
The development was preceded by flushing the Takfiris out of the towns of Yalda, Babbila and Beit Sahem on the southern outskirts of Damascus.
25 july 2018
The Israeli occupation army on Tuesday shot down a Syrian warplane after it allegedly penetrated its airspace in the occupied Golan Heights.
The Israeli army said in a statement that two surface-to-air Patriot missiles were launched at a Syrian Sukhoi jet fighter, claiming it breached its airspace by about two kilometers (1.25 miles).
“It was shot down and it crashed,” an Israeli military spokesman told reporters, adding that the aircraft likely fell into the Syrian territory.
“We do not have any information so far about the pilots. I do not know of any reports of parachutes being spotted, and we do not know if any pilots have been retrieved,” he said.
Sirens were heard across the occupied Golan Heights, near the Syrian frontier and Israeli media said residents saw missiles’ contrails and heard sounds of explosions.
It is the first time Israel has shot down a Syrian fighter jet since 2014, although this year it has hit what it says are Syrian drones breaching its airspace.
For its part, the Syrian state television said on Tuesday the downed aircraft had not left the Syrian skies. It said the jet had been attacking militants and condemned Israel for aiding people it described as terrorists and enemies.
Since mid-June, Syrian government forces, backed by Russia, have been conducting a deadly bombing campaign close to the Golan Heights.
The Israeli army said in a statement that two surface-to-air Patriot missiles were launched at a Syrian Sukhoi jet fighter, claiming it breached its airspace by about two kilometers (1.25 miles).
“It was shot down and it crashed,” an Israeli military spokesman told reporters, adding that the aircraft likely fell into the Syrian territory.
“We do not have any information so far about the pilots. I do not know of any reports of parachutes being spotted, and we do not know if any pilots have been retrieved,” he said.
Sirens were heard across the occupied Golan Heights, near the Syrian frontier and Israeli media said residents saw missiles’ contrails and heard sounds of explosions.
It is the first time Israel has shot down a Syrian fighter jet since 2014, although this year it has hit what it says are Syrian drones breaching its airspace.
For its part, the Syrian state television said on Tuesday the downed aircraft had not left the Syrian skies. It said the jet had been attacking militants and condemned Israel for aiding people it described as terrorists and enemies.
Since mid-June, Syrian government forces, backed by Russia, have been conducting a deadly bombing campaign close to the Golan Heights.
16 july 2018
Syrian state media accused Israel of striking the Neirab Airport in Aleppo province late Sunday, in another Israeli attack in the war-ravaged country.
"The Zionist enemy (Israel)... targeted with its missiles one of our military positions north of the Neirab military airport, but the damage was only material," state-run SANA said.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which very rarely confirms strikes on Syrian positions.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said it had recorded a wave of blasts around Neirab on Sunday night.
"They were caused by a missile attack, suspected to have been carried out by Israel, targeting positions held by Syria's regime and its allies at the Neirab airport and around it," the Britain-based monitor said.
Suspected Israeli air strikes have hit Syrian army positions near Damascus and in the central provinces of Homs and Hama in the past.
Israel has repeatedly warned it will not tolerate an entrenched presence of its archfoe Iran in Syria.
"The Zionist enemy (Israel)... targeted with its missiles one of our military positions north of the Neirab military airport, but the damage was only material," state-run SANA said.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which very rarely confirms strikes on Syrian positions.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said it had recorded a wave of blasts around Neirab on Sunday night.
"They were caused by a missile attack, suspected to have been carried out by Israel, targeting positions held by Syria's regime and its allies at the Neirab airport and around it," the Britain-based monitor said.
Suspected Israeli air strikes have hit Syrian army positions near Damascus and in the central provinces of Homs and Hama in the past.
Israel has repeatedly warned it will not tolerate an entrenched presence of its archfoe Iran in Syria.
12 july 2018
Israel has launched new aerial attacks on three Syrian military sites after an unmanned drone allegedly entered its airspace near the occupied Golan Heights on Thursday.
The Israeli occupation army said in a statement that three Syrian army structures in Quneitra province were targeted in overnight air raids, saying it was in retaliation for the entering of a Syrian drone into its airspace a few hours earlier.
Syrian state media said the Israeli airstrikes on the southern province inflicted material damage but caused no deaths or injuries, adding that the country's air defenses had managed to intercept a few Israeli missiles.
The Israeli occupation army said in a statement that three Syrian army structures in Quneitra province were targeted in overnight air raids, saying it was in retaliation for the entering of a Syrian drone into its airspace a few hours earlier.
Syrian state media said the Israeli airstrikes on the southern province inflicted material damage but caused no deaths or injuries, adding that the country's air defenses had managed to intercept a few Israeli missiles.
7 july 2018
An Israeli warplane struck a position on Friday on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights after a mortar shell allegedly landed in a neutral border area.
Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee claimed the airstrike targeted a Syrian army post that had shelled a buffer zone on the Golan frontier during fighting with insurgents in southern Syria.
Syrian military sources affirmed the Israeli airstrike targeted a hill in Khan Arnabeh village in Quneitra province without causing casualties.
In a separate statement, the Israeli army threatened to invade the buffer zone in the Golan Heights if any Syrian forces violated the UN-monitored 1974 ceasefire agreement.
The Israeli army, which already carried out several aerial attacks on Syria, also claimed it had no intention to get involved in Syria’s war and would continue to implement to implement the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement that includes maintaining the buffer zone.
An Israeli cabinet minister also threatened last Thursday that Israel could fire upon any Syrian forces violating the truce deal.
The UN-monitored 1974 armistice bars military build-ups by either side, Syria or Israel, around the Golan.
However, the Israeli army has recently beefed up its artillery forces near the buffer zone of the Golan, watching warily as the Syrian regime’s military forces and its allies advance near the Golan.
Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee claimed the airstrike targeted a Syrian army post that had shelled a buffer zone on the Golan frontier during fighting with insurgents in southern Syria.
Syrian military sources affirmed the Israeli airstrike targeted a hill in Khan Arnabeh village in Quneitra province without causing casualties.
In a separate statement, the Israeli army threatened to invade the buffer zone in the Golan Heights if any Syrian forces violated the UN-monitored 1974 ceasefire agreement.
The Israeli army, which already carried out several aerial attacks on Syria, also claimed it had no intention to get involved in Syria’s war and would continue to implement to implement the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement that includes maintaining the buffer zone.
An Israeli cabinet minister also threatened last Thursday that Israel could fire upon any Syrian forces violating the truce deal.
The UN-monitored 1974 armistice bars military build-ups by either side, Syria or Israel, around the Golan.
However, the Israeli army has recently beefed up its artillery forces near the buffer zone of the Golan, watching warily as the Syrian regime’s military forces and its allies advance near the Golan.
18 june 2018
After White House flatly denies Syrian claims that US jets launched strike in al-Harra that left scores dead, CNN says government official attributes responsibility to IAF.
A White House official told CNN Monday evening that Israel is responsible for an airstrike that was carried out against Syria overnight Sunday which left scores of pro-regime fighters dead.
Syrian state media, citing a military source, reported earlier that US-led coalition aircraft had bombed "one of our military positions" in eastern Syria, leading to deaths and injuries, but the US military denied carrying out strikes in the area.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights group originally said that 40 fighters loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad were killed, but later stated that the death toll had risen to 52.
Other reports indicated the fatalities left by the strike were Iranian militia fighters.
The strike took place in al-Harra, southeast of Albu Kamal, Syrian state media said.
A commander in the military alliance backing Assad also told Reuters that drones, "probably American," had bombed positions of Iraqi factions between Albu Kamal and Tanf and Syrian military positions.
The claim, however, was flatly denied in the US. "No member of the US-led coalition carried out strikes near Albu Kamal," Major Josh Jacques, a US Central Command spokesman said.
The US-led coalition is supporting an alliance of Syrian Arab and Kurdish militia fighting Islamic State northeast of Albu Kamal.
The Syrian army, alongside allied Iran-backed militias including Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iraqi groups, drove Islamic State from Albu Kamal and its environs last year, but the jihadists have since staged attacks in the area.
US forces are also based in Tanf, southwest of Albu Kamal in the Syrian desert near the borders of Iraq and Jordan.
The Syrian army, alongside Iran-backed militias including Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iraqi groups, drove Islamic State from Albu Kamal and its environs last year, but the jihadists have since staged attacks in the area.
A White House official told CNN Monday evening that Israel is responsible for an airstrike that was carried out against Syria overnight Sunday which left scores of pro-regime fighters dead.
Syrian state media, citing a military source, reported earlier that US-led coalition aircraft had bombed "one of our military positions" in eastern Syria, leading to deaths and injuries, but the US military denied carrying out strikes in the area.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights group originally said that 40 fighters loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad were killed, but later stated that the death toll had risen to 52.
Other reports indicated the fatalities left by the strike were Iranian militia fighters.
The strike took place in al-Harra, southeast of Albu Kamal, Syrian state media said.
A commander in the military alliance backing Assad also told Reuters that drones, "probably American," had bombed positions of Iraqi factions between Albu Kamal and Tanf and Syrian military positions.
The claim, however, was flatly denied in the US. "No member of the US-led coalition carried out strikes near Albu Kamal," Major Josh Jacques, a US Central Command spokesman said.
The US-led coalition is supporting an alliance of Syrian Arab and Kurdish militia fighting Islamic State northeast of Albu Kamal.
The Syrian army, alongside allied Iran-backed militias including Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iraqi groups, drove Islamic State from Albu Kamal and its environs last year, but the jihadists have since staged attacks in the area.
US forces are also based in Tanf, southwest of Albu Kamal in the Syrian desert near the borders of Iraq and Jordan.
The Syrian army, alongside Iran-backed militias including Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iraqi groups, drove Islamic State from Albu Kamal and its environs last year, but the jihadists have since staged attacks in the area.
2 june 2018
Jens Stoltenberg tells Der Spiegel that while Israel is a partner, it is not a member and therefore NATO's 'security guarantee' doesn't apply to it.
NATO's secretary-general said Saturday the alliance wouldn't come to Israel's defense in case of attack by arch enemy Iran.
Jens Stoltenberg told the magazine Der Spiegel that Israel is a partner, but not a member and that NATO's "security guarantee" doesn't apply to Israel.
Stoltenberg noted NATO isn't involved in Mideast peace efforts or in conflicts in the region.
Stoltenberg's comments in the wake of recent clashes between Israel and Iran in the Golan Heights, and amid Israeli efforts to remove the Iranians and their Shiite allies, including Hezbollah, from the Israel-Syria border area.
Israel and Russia have reportedly reached an agreement that would see the withdrawal of Iranian and Hezbollah forces from the Golan, while troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad will take over the area.
According to a report in the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, the Iranian and Hezbollah forces will initially pull back its forces to within 20 kilometers of the border, and later to a range of 60 to 70 kilometers, with Russia underlining the fact that this was a gradual process.
Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly wanted Israel to allow Assad's army to move southwards to the Jordanian border and secure all of the Syrian Golan Heights.
In return, the Russian president is willing to promise Israel that Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps and Iran-affiliated militias will not be present in the territories Assad's army takes.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, reported on Thursday that Iranian troops and members of Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group are getting ready to withdraw from southern Syria.
A Syria-based official with the Iran-led axis of resistance denied the report.
Assad himself has rebuffed claims of an Iranian military presence in his country, while accusing Israel of launching attacks on his territory and of propagating “lies” about its massive aerial offensive launched earlier in May.
The embattled Syrian president told Russia Today that Iran's presence in his country was limited to officers who were assisting the Syrian army. Apparently referring to the May 10 attack by Israel, Assad said "we had tens of Syrian martyrs and wounded soldiers, not a single Iranian" casualty.
NATO's secretary-general said Saturday the alliance wouldn't come to Israel's defense in case of attack by arch enemy Iran.
Jens Stoltenberg told the magazine Der Spiegel that Israel is a partner, but not a member and that NATO's "security guarantee" doesn't apply to Israel.
Stoltenberg noted NATO isn't involved in Mideast peace efforts or in conflicts in the region.
Stoltenberg's comments in the wake of recent clashes between Israel and Iran in the Golan Heights, and amid Israeli efforts to remove the Iranians and their Shiite allies, including Hezbollah, from the Israel-Syria border area.
Israel and Russia have reportedly reached an agreement that would see the withdrawal of Iranian and Hezbollah forces from the Golan, while troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad will take over the area.
According to a report in the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, the Iranian and Hezbollah forces will initially pull back its forces to within 20 kilometers of the border, and later to a range of 60 to 70 kilometers, with Russia underlining the fact that this was a gradual process.
Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly wanted Israel to allow Assad's army to move southwards to the Jordanian border and secure all of the Syrian Golan Heights.
In return, the Russian president is willing to promise Israel that Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps and Iran-affiliated militias will not be present in the territories Assad's army takes.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, reported on Thursday that Iranian troops and members of Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group are getting ready to withdraw from southern Syria.
A Syria-based official with the Iran-led axis of resistance denied the report.
Assad himself has rebuffed claims of an Iranian military presence in his country, while accusing Israel of launching attacks on his territory and of propagating “lies” about its massive aerial offensive launched earlier in May.
The embattled Syrian president told Russia Today that Iran's presence in his country was limited to officers who were assisting the Syrian army. Apparently referring to the May 10 attack by Israel, Assad said "we had tens of Syrian martyrs and wounded soldiers, not a single Iranian" casualty.
20 may 2018
Following the relocation of the US embassy in Israel to Occupied Jerusalem last week, an American congressman is calling on Washington to recognize Israeli sovereignty in the occupied Golan Heights.
In an interview published Sunday, Florida Rep. Ron DeSantis told the Hebrew-speaking Walla news website he had brought the proposal before the Congressional Committee on Foreign Affairs, of which he is a member, on Thursday.
Israel captured the Golan in 1967 from Syria and annexed the territory in 1981, in a move never recognized by the international community— which still regards it as occupied.
DeSantis told Walla he had suggested that amendment to a chapter on Syria in the US military’s budget. Though the move would be largely symbolic, he noted, approval could encourage the administration to take a position on the matter.
The congressman claimed his action seemed to him a natural follow-up to the embassy’s relocation from Tel Aviv to Occupied Jerusalem last Monday.
The congressman said that just as Washington’s relocation of its embassy would help take Occupied Jerusalem off the table in peace negotiations, American recognition of Israel’s sovereignty in the Golan Heights would clarify it has no intention of forcing Jerusalem to relinquish the territory.
DeSantis attended the ceremony celebrating the opening of the Jerusalem embassy last Monday. He had long been a proponent of the move and last March led a Congressional fact-finding mission to Israel on a possible relocation.
US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital last December and to relocate the embassy there has been universally condemned and rejected by most world leaders including the European Union.
The move also led to widespread anger in the Arab world and to violent Palestinian protests.
A mass demonstration along the Gaza Strip’s border with Israel Monday over the US embassy ceremony led to the murder of over 60 Palestinians by Israeli gunfire.
In an interview published Sunday, Florida Rep. Ron DeSantis told the Hebrew-speaking Walla news website he had brought the proposal before the Congressional Committee on Foreign Affairs, of which he is a member, on Thursday.
Israel captured the Golan in 1967 from Syria and annexed the territory in 1981, in a move never recognized by the international community— which still regards it as occupied.
DeSantis told Walla he had suggested that amendment to a chapter on Syria in the US military’s budget. Though the move would be largely symbolic, he noted, approval could encourage the administration to take a position on the matter.
The congressman claimed his action seemed to him a natural follow-up to the embassy’s relocation from Tel Aviv to Occupied Jerusalem last Monday.
The congressman said that just as Washington’s relocation of its embassy would help take Occupied Jerusalem off the table in peace negotiations, American recognition of Israel’s sovereignty in the Golan Heights would clarify it has no intention of forcing Jerusalem to relinquish the territory.
DeSantis attended the ceremony celebrating the opening of the Jerusalem embassy last Monday. He had long been a proponent of the move and last March led a Congressional fact-finding mission to Israel on a possible relocation.
US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital last December and to relocate the embassy there has been universally condemned and rejected by most world leaders including the European Union.
The move also led to widespread anger in the Arab world and to violent Palestinian protests.
A mass demonstration along the Gaza Strip’s border with Israel Monday over the US embassy ceremony led to the murder of over 60 Palestinians by Israeli gunfire.
Following last week’s extensive military activity, which saw projectiles landing in the occupied Syrian Golan heights, Al-Marsad, the independent, non profit human rights organisation, reiterates its call for the removal of Israeli army posts from Syrian civilian areas. Since its occupation of the Golan heights in 1967, Israel has constructed army posts and bases, laid landmines and erected a fortified fence to maintain control over the region and its Syrian population.
As a result, there are multiple Israeli army posts and bases in and close to Syrian residential and agricultural areas. Their presence puts the Syrian civilian population at risk of stray fire and is unlawful. The danger is tragically all too real. During the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, approximately 20 Syrian civilians were killed during an attempted military strike on an Israeli military post in the village of Majdal Shams in the Golan.
As an occupying power, Israel has a legal obligation under international humanitarian and human rights law to protect the lives of Syrians in the Golan. Article 48 of the Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, says that Parties must ensure respect and protection of the civilian population and civilian objects. Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights requires State Parties to address threats to life and life-threatening harm and injuries that may result in loss of life.
Furthermore, PNN reports, both international humanitarian law and Israeli military law provide that military objectives such as army posts should not be within or near densely populated areas. Article 58b of the Additional Protocol requires that Parties ‘avoid locating military objectives within or near densely populated areas’. Israel’s own Manual on the Laws of War (1998) prohibits ‘mingling military targets among civilian objects, as for instance, a military force located within a village or a squad of soldiers fleeing into a civilian structure’.
However, instead of complying with these requirements and removing existing military posts from Syrian civilian areas, the Israeli authorities have in fact recently completed the construction of a new Israeli military post in Majdal Shams. Al-Marsad urgently calls on Israel to comply with its legal obligations and immediately remove this new military post and all existing military posts in and close to Syrian civilian areas within the Golan heights to prevent any further harm or loss of life.
For additional information, please contact [email protected] or [email protected].
As a result, there are multiple Israeli army posts and bases in and close to Syrian residential and agricultural areas. Their presence puts the Syrian civilian population at risk of stray fire and is unlawful. The danger is tragically all too real. During the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, approximately 20 Syrian civilians were killed during an attempted military strike on an Israeli military post in the village of Majdal Shams in the Golan.
As an occupying power, Israel has a legal obligation under international humanitarian and human rights law to protect the lives of Syrians in the Golan. Article 48 of the Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, says that Parties must ensure respect and protection of the civilian population and civilian objects. Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights requires State Parties to address threats to life and life-threatening harm and injuries that may result in loss of life.
Furthermore, PNN reports, both international humanitarian law and Israeli military law provide that military objectives such as army posts should not be within or near densely populated areas. Article 58b of the Additional Protocol requires that Parties ‘avoid locating military objectives within or near densely populated areas’. Israel’s own Manual on the Laws of War (1998) prohibits ‘mingling military targets among civilian objects, as for instance, a military force located within a village or a squad of soldiers fleeing into a civilian structure’.
However, instead of complying with these requirements and removing existing military posts from Syrian civilian areas, the Israeli authorities have in fact recently completed the construction of a new Israeli military post in Majdal Shams. Al-Marsad urgently calls on Israel to comply with its legal obligations and immediately remove this new military post and all existing military posts in and close to Syrian civilian areas within the Golan heights to prevent any further harm or loss of life.
For additional information, please contact [email protected] or [email protected].