Netanyahu Says Ordered Israeli Army to ‘Seize’ Buffer Zone with Syria

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he had ordered the Israeli military to “seize” a UN-patrolled buffer zone between the Israeli- and Syrian-controlled Golan Heights.

The premier said a 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria “has collapsed”, so he “directed the (military) yesterday to seize the buffer zone and the commanding positions nearby.”

“We will not allow any hostile force to establish itself on our border,” Netanyahu said during a visit to the Mount Bental on the border between occupied Palestine and Syria.

Meanwhile, he claimed credit for starting the chain of events that led to the fall of the Syrian government after the armed opposition entered the capital, Damascus, early on Sunday.

“This is a historic day in the history of the Middle East. This is a direct result of the blows we have inflicted on Iran and Hezbollah, the main supporters of the (President Bashar) Al-Assad regime.”

Netanyahu also warned that alongside new opportunities, the flight of Assad from Syria also brings risks.

Source: Israeli media (edited by Al-Manar English Website)