What's Behind Israel's Land Grab in Golan?

israel, prime minister benjamin netanyahu, the golan heights, israel’s occupation of the golan, idf, israeli defense force invaded syria, israeli military seized syria-controlled part of the golan

Ekaterina Blinova

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The Israeli military expanded their control over the Golan Heights on December 8 by seizing Syrian-controlled areas. The region has been partially occupied by Israel since the Six Day War of 1967.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the same day that Israel would expand attacks inside Syria in the coming days to destroy arms caches.

Al-Saif warned that Tel Aviv’s hasty land grab is fraught with long term security risks for Israel, especially given that it unilaterally tore up the 1974 disengagement treaty with Syria.

The new occupation «will complicate any future negotiation positions» of Israel, Dr Tamer Qarmout, an associate professor in the Public Policy at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, told Sputnik, stressing that the Golan Heights belong to Syria under the international law.

Tel Aviv is destroying Syria’s military infrastructure to undermine the nation’s new government and its defensive capabilities, the pundit added.

«The Israelis have already been striking Syria left and right, dismantling military infrastructure and other facilities and sites,» Qarmout said. «So the Israelis want to make sure that the next Syrian government or the new Syrian regime will start from scratch.»

Israel’s invasion of Syria could also be part of its long-standing attempts to deal a blow to Iran’s Axis of Resistance, according to political and security analyst Ali Rizk.

«They’re trying now in Syria to further weaken Hezbollah» said the expert and to «minimize Iranian influence in Syria and also in the region more broadly.»