France and UN call on West Jerusalem to respect “territorial integrity” of Syria and withdraw its troops from demilitarized area
Israeli troops will remain in the UN-patrolled buffer zone between Israel and Syria, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Thursday. The statement came after France and the UN, along with a number of countries in the region, called on West Jerusalem to withdraw its troops from the demilitarized area.
On Tuesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would establish a temporary “sterile defense zone” in southern Syria to prevent any “terrorist threat” after the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government. The Israeli troops seized the demilitarized buffer zone (DMZ) established in 1974 and expanded beyond the area of the Golan Heights they had been illegally occupying since 1967.
France and the UN condemned the move in separate statements, both calling it “a violation” of the disengagement agreement, with each urging Israel to respect’s Syria’s territorial integrity.
However, Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said on X that Israel’s actions were “necessary for defensive reasons due to threats posed by jihadist groups operating near the border.” He added that Israel will “continue to act to defend itself and ensure the security of its citizens as needed.”
A separate statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Thursday said the arrangement is “temporary” but will continue until “security on our border can be guaranteed.”
Israel captured the majority of the Golan Heights during the 1967 Six-Day War.
Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel intends to retain total control over the Golan Heights, which is adjacent to the DMZ, “forever,” insisting that it is an “inseparable part” of the Jewish state.
Israel has also launched some 480 airstrikes on Syria in recent days, reportedly targeting weapons stockpiles and naval vessels that belonged to Assad’s army before armed opposition groups, led by Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS), took control of the country last weekend.
Speaking to Channel 4 on Wednesday, a HTS spokesman stopped short of outright condemning the Israeli strikes, merely stating that the group wants “everyone” to respect the sovereignty of “the new Syria.”
Both Saudi Arabia and Türkiye have condemned the Israeli actions, however, with Riyadh saying earlier this week that West Jerusalem is attempting to “sabotage” Syria’s chances of restoring “security, stability and territorial integrity.”
Ankara, likewise, has accused Israel of working to undermine and “jeopardize” prospects for peace in Syria.
“Israel, which destroyed Gaza, now threatens the future of our Syrian brothers and sisters,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Tuesday.
