UN slams ‘violation’ of 1974 Syria disengagement deal as Israel acts in buffer zone
US defends Israeli decision to fill vacuum after Syrian soldiers fled posts along border, but stresses measure must be temporary; Iran condemns ‘flagrant violation’
The United Nations accused Israel on Monday of having violated the 1974 Disengagement Agreement with Syria, after Jerusalem informed the UN Security Council that it had taken “limited and temporary measures” in a demilitarized strip on the border in Syrian territory to counter any threats to the Israeli Golan Heights.
In a letter informing the 15-member council of Israel’s actions, UN ambassador Danny Danon stressed that it was “important to emphasize, however, that Israel is not intervening in the ongoing conflict between Syrian armed groups” following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on Sunday. “Our actions are solely focused on safeguarding our security,” he wrote.
Danon’s letter came after Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Monday morning that he had ordered the IDF to complete its takeover of the buffer zone between Israel and Syria in the Golan Heights after it took up dozens of new positions a day earlier, bracing for potential chaos in the wake of the Syrian rebel takeover that toppled the Assad family’s 50-year rule.
The IDF has said that its deployment to the buffer zone is a defensive and temporary measure but acknowledged that it may end up staying there for the foreseeable future, depending on developments.
The 235-square-kilometer demilitarized buffer zone was established in the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement between Israel and Syria, which concluded the Yom Kippur War, and has been manned for decades by UN peacekeepers. However, Israel said Sunday that with the fall of the Assad regime, it considered the agreement void until order is restored in Syria, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a visit to the border that the agreement had “collapsed.”
Nevertheless, Danon told the UN Security Council that Israel remains committed to the framework of the 1974 agreement.
Shortly after Danon formally informed the UN of the steps taken by Israel, a spokesperson for the international body said the troops positioned in the buffer zone “constitute a violation” of the agreement.
The UN peacekeeping force deployed in the Golan Heights, known as UNDOF, “informed the Israeli counterparts that these actions would constitute a violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
He said that the Israeli forces that entered the zone were still present in at least three locations.
“There should be no military forces or activities in the area of separation. And Israel and Syria must continue to uphold the terms of that 1974 agreement, and preserve stability in the Golan,” Dujarric said.
Iran condemned Israel’s incursion. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said in a statement: “This aggression is a flagrant violation of the United Nations charter.”
Saudi Arabia slammed Israel’s seizure of the buffer zone, which it said was proof of Israel’s desire to “ruin Syria’s chance of restoring its security.”
“The seizure of the buffer zone in the Golan Heights… confirm Israel’s continued violation of the rules of international law, and its determination to sabotage Syria’s chances of restoring its security, stability and territorial integrity,” the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement.
The US, meanwhile, defended Israel’s takeover of the buffer zone while noting Israel’s statements that the action was temporary.
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller explained during a press briefing that the Syrian army had abandoned positions on its side of the Golan Heights and noted that this created a potential vacuum that could have been filled by terror organizations that threaten Israel.
Justifying the move by the IDF, he said that any country would be concerned and want to take action to prevent such a vacuum from being created.
However, he highlighted Israel’s public claims that the takeover was temporary and said that the US would be monitoring Israel’s presence and speaking to Israeli counterparts to ensure that the IDF takeover doesn’t become permanent.
He declined to set a timetable, however, pointing to the fast-changing situation on the ground in Syria.
“Israel has said that these actions are temporary to defend its borders. These are not permanent actions, and so ultimately, what we want to see is lasting stability between Israel and Syria, and that means we support all sides upholding the 1974 disengagement agreement,” Miller said.
In addition to holding positions in the buffer zone, Israel has carried out an extensive aerial campaign in Syria, targeting weaponry that Jerusalem fears could fall into the hands of hostile forces.
Western intelligence sources believe that around 300 strikes have been carried out since Sunday, the Ynet news site reported, adding that if the strikes continue at their current pace, officials believe the Syrian Air Force will be all but destroyed in a matter of days, ensuring that the rebel groups, and any future government, will not be able to threaten Israel from the air.
The Syrian government fell early Sunday in a stunning end to the 50-year rule of the Assad family, after a sudden rebel offensive sprinted across government-held territory and entered the capital in 10 days.
Syria’s civil war, which erupted in 2011 as an uprising against Assad’s rule, dragged in major outside powers, created space for jihadist militants to plot attacks around the world, and sent millions of refugees into neighboring states.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the strongest rebel group, is the former al Qaeda affiliate in Syria regarded by the US and others as a terrorist organization, and many Syrians remain fearful it will impose draconian Islamist rule.
HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani has tried to reassure minorities that he will not interfere with them and the international community that he opposes Islamist attacks abroad. In Aleppo, which the rebels captured a week ago, there have not been reports of reprisals.
