Buffer zone on Golan: Egypt demands withdrawal of Israeli forces

Egypt strongly condemned  on Monday the Israeli military’s occupation of part of the buffer zone on the Golan Heights. 

According to Cairo, this move constitutes “an occupation of Syrian territory, a blatant violation of its sovereignty, and a serious breach of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.”

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have justified the incursion as a precautionary measure following recent developments in Syria, including the withdrawal of Syrian forces from the border area. The IDF stated that the move was necessary to preempt potential threats to Israeli territory.

Israel described the deployment as temporary, intended to monitor the situation and determine whether the Syrian regular army or Islamist militias would ultimately take control on the Syrian side of the border.

The buffer zone on the Golan Heights was created after the Yom Kippur War in 1973 to act as a neutral space between Israeli and Syrian forces. Monitored by the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), it has generally been respected by both sides, despite intermittent skirmishes.