Israel Takes Control of Strategic Mount Hermon at Golan Heights After Syrian Rebels Oust Assad

Israel is in control of the strategic Syrian side of the Mount Hermon mountain range, and it may not be willing to give up that territory anytime soon.On Sunday, the elite Shaldag unit of Israel’s Air Force conducted a raid on the mountain, which is less than six miles from Israel’s border, and took control of the area without resistance after rebels overthrew the government of Bashar al-Assad.According to a war monitor based in England, Syrian forces abandoned the mountain range on Saturday, shortly before rebels once affiliated with al-Qaeda toppled the Assad regime.The Mount Hermon range is in a buffer zone in the Golan Heights, an area northeast of Israel that has been divided since the Six Day War in 1967. The western two–thirds of the region was ceded to Israel and Syria remained in control of the eastern third following the conflict.Prime Minister Netanyahu told reporters Sunday that Israel will “not allow any hostile force to establish itself on our border.”Mr. Netanyahu expressed optimism that the fall of the Assad government will signal the “end of tyranny in Damascus,” but warned that the path ahead is “fraught with significant dangers.”He vowed to “send a hand of peace” to Syrians and said Israel’s position in the buffer zone is a “temporary defensive position until a suitable arrangement is found.”However, he also signaled Israel might not be willing to leave the strategic area. “If we can establish neighborly relations and peaceful relations with the new forces emerging in Syria, that’s our desire,” he said. “But if we do not, we will do whatever it takes to defend the State of Israel and the border of Israel.”A counter-terrorism researcher at the Islamic Theology of Counter Terrorism think tank, Noor Dahri, notes Israel’s “northern defenses were overshadowed by Syria’s Mt. Hermon.”“In the past, Israel’s radars suffered from a significant blind spot, unable to see beyond Mt. Hermon and parts of Lebanon from their position,” he explained. “Iran’s low-flying drones exploited this weakness, infiltrating Israel time and time again.”The new position will give Israel a better opportunity to detect incoming drones or jets. However, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, Carmit Valensi, told the Associated Press she does not believe Israel intends to retain control of the mountain range. “Right now, it’s a tactical operation, not a long-term strategy, in response to the dynamic situation in Syria,” Ms. Valensi said.In addition to taking control of Mount Hermon, Israel also reportedly carried out a series of airstrikes on arms depots formally controlled by the Syrian military, including an alleged chemical weapons stash. The strikes come weeks after Israel came to a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah to end the year-long cross-border conflict that escalated to the point that Israel launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon to prevent the terrorist organization from conducting further strikes in its territory.

Israel Takes Control of Strategic Mount Hermon at Golan Heights After Syrian Rebels Oust Assad

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