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https://sputnikglobe.com/20241209/what-makes-the-golan-heights-crucial-for-israel-1121132234.html
What Makes the Golan Heights Crucial for Israel?
What Makes the Golan Heights Crucial for Israel?
Sputnik International
What makes the Golan Heights crucial for Israel?
2024-12-09T11:59+0000
2024-12-09T11:59+0000
2024-12-09T11:59+0000
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bashar al-assad
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golan heights
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Amid the turmoil in Syria, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) entered Syrian territory outside the Golan Heights for the first time in 50 years. The Golan Heights in DetailsThe Golan Heights is a mountain plateau of volcanic origin that stretches north to south, covering an area of 1,800 square kilometers. It lies about 60 km south of Damascus and is bordered by the Yarmouk River to the south and the Sea of Galilee to the west. Why is This Ground Vital?This is a key strategic area in military terms. The plateau’s hilly terrain offers a natural defense line against any ground military strike from Syria. The high ground also gives Israel an excellent vantage point to observe troop movements in Syria. With their well-developed hydro geographical network, the heights is a key source of water for the arid region. Numerous rivers and streams from there flow into the Jordan River and Lake Tiberias – crucial sources of drinking water for Israel. Three drilling sites on the Golan were claimed to have discovered potentially billions of barrels of oil in 2015. The fertile volcanic soil is used for growing vineyards and orchards, as well as for raising livestock. The History of the Golan HeightsIsrael seized a large portion of Syria’s Golan Heights during the Six-Day War in 1967. After the 1973 Arab-Israeli War (Yom Kippur War), Syria and Israel signed a disengagement agreement in May 1974. The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 350, which established the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) there. Israel formally annexed the patch of land in 1981. The UN Security Council declared the annexation invalid. Most of the international community, including Russia, does not recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the territory. During Trump’s tenure in 2019, the US administration officially recognized the Golan Heights as part of Israel.The Israeli army took over the Syrian outpost on Mount Hermon after the Syrian army withdrew from its positions in the buffer zone. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the disengagement agreement with Syria on the Golan Heights, reached shortly after the 1973 Yom Kippur War, was no longer valid. An order was given to the IDF to occupy the demarcation zone, with Sputnik’s exclusive footage showing Israeli tanks and bulldozers breaching a wall on the border of the region.Tel Aviv fears that members of the armed Syrian opposition could seize control of military facilities near the Golan Heights and use them against the country, the New York Times reported, citing two Israeli officials.
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why are the golan heights important, why does israel need the golan heights, who owns the golan heights, has israel seized the golan heights, what are the golan heights, do golan heights have oil, where are the golan heights, syria, syrian crisis, coup d’etat in syria, syria regime change, bashar assaf, what’s going on in syria, syria forecast, syria partition
why are the golan heights important, why does israel need the golan heights, who owns the golan heights, has israel seized the golan heights, what are the golan heights, do golan heights have oil, where are the golan heights, syria, syrian crisis, coup d’etat in syria, syria regime change, bashar assaf, what’s going on in syria, syria forecast, syria partition
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has transferred power to the armed opposition just days after the militants launched their advance from Idlib province. Israel has long had its own territorial ambitions in the region, relating specifically to the Golan Heights.
The Golan Heights in Details
The Golan Heights is a mountain plateau of volcanic origin that stretches north to south, covering an area of 1,800 square kilometers. It lies about 60 km south of Damascus and is bordered by the Yarmouk River to the south and the Sea of Galilee to the west.
💥 ISRAEL ENTERS SYRIAN TERRITORY BEYOND THE GOLAN HEIGHTS
Sputnik’s exclusive footage shows Israeli tanks and bulldozers breaching a wall on the border of the Golan Heights region, entering Syrian soil beyond the Golan Heights for the first time in more than 50 years. https://t.co/wg8GorScIv pic.twitter.com/wwAIedFDIZ
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) December 9, 2024
Why is This Ground Vital?
This is a key strategic area in military terms. The plateau’s hilly terrain offers a natural defense line against any ground military strike from Syria. The high ground also gives Israel an excellent vantage point to observe troop movements in Syria.
With their well-developed hydro geographical network, the heights is a key source of water for the arid region. Numerous rivers and streams from there flow into the Jordan River and Lake Tiberias – crucial sources of drinking water for Israel.
The fertile volcanic soil is used for growing vineyards and orchards, as well as for raising livestock.
The History of the Golan Heights
After the 1973 Arab-Israeli War (Yom Kippur War), Syria and Israel signed a disengagement agreement in May 1974.
The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 350, which established the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) there.
The Israeli army took over the Syrian outpost on Mount Hermon after the Syrian army withdrew from its positions in the buffer zone. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the disengagement agreement with Syria on the Golan Heights, reached shortly after the 1973 Yom Kippur War, was no longer valid. An order was given to the IDF to occupy the demarcation zone, with Sputnik’s exclusive footage showing Israeli tanks and bulldozers breaching a wall on the border of the region.
Tel Aviv fears that members of the armed Syrian opposition could seize control of military facilities near the Golan Heights and use them against the country, the New York Times reported, citing two Israeli officials.
