Israel demands complete demilitarization of southern Syria

Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, has called for the total demilitarization of a large portion of southern Syria.

This revelation may increase the likelihood of violence between Israel and the future Syrian government following the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad.

Netanyahu declared that Israel will not permit the forces of the Islamist organization that spearheaded the toppling of Assad, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), or the newly created Syrian army to "enter the area south of Damascus" during a speech to Israeli military cadets on Sunday.

"We demand the complete demilitarization of southern Syria in the provinces of Quneitra, Deraa and Suweida from the forces of the new regime," he stated. "Likewise, we will not tolerate any threat to the Druze community in southern Syria."

Additionally, he declared that Israeli forces would change their strategy and stay indefinitely inside the Syrian land they had taken since Assad was overthrown last December.

Up until recently, Israel had explained its entry into a demilitarized buffer zone in the Golan Heights under UN supervision as a short-term step to protect Israelis living across the border.

Preventing extremist groups from relocating to the Golan in the absence of authority seems to be justification.

 

However, Netanyahu has made it apparent in his most recent remarks that he thinks the new Syrian government, given their jihadist past, may pose a comparable threat.

During the 1967 Middle East conflict, Israel took the majority of the Golan from Syria and subsequently annexed it. Although the US recognized the move in 2019, it was not recognized globally.

On Monday, Syrians in the province of Quneitra demonstrated against Netanyahu's demand.

HTS commander Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria's new interim president, has made an effort to reassure Israel that he does not desire war and is prepared to honor the long-standing disengagement pact that the two nations reached following previous war in 1973.

 

However, Netanyahu has made it apparent in his most recent remarks that he thinks the new Syrian government, given their jihadist past, may pose a comparable threat.

During the 1967 Middle East conflict, Israel took most of the Golan from Syria and subsequently annexed it. Although the US recognized the move in 2019, it was not recognized globally.

On Monday, Syrians in the province of Quneitra demonstrated against Netanyahu's demand.

HTS commander Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria's new interim president, has made an effort to reassure Israel that he does not desire war and is prepared to honor the long-standing disengagement pact that the two nations reached following previous war in 1973.

 

According to the new Syrian leadership, a more promising future for the nation and a final break with the past depend on releasing it from the grip of all the foreign powers that fought for control during the protracted civil war.

For the time being, at least, certain international players—like Russia and Iran—have seen that their once-dominant influence has diminished.

The US may possibly further withdraw from Syria under President Donald Trump, a role that has supported Kurdish-led forces in the country's northeast.

 

However, Turkey's influence has grown, as it gave HTS crucial assistance in their rapid battle against Assad.

The extent to which it decides to participate may have a significant impact on how Syria unfolds in the years following Assad.

However, Israel might pose a more direct threat to Syria's newfound independence.

The idea of a reunified, independent state that Sharaa is attempting to persuade Syrians inside and outside the country that his leadership can provide does not align with the reality of Israeli troops encroaching on the country's territory more and more and carrying out multiple attacks on targets connected to what remains of Assad's military arsenal.

 

Despite its efforts to project a non-conflict image, the new order in Damascus may find Netanyahu's decision to prohibit Syrian forces from operating freely within its boundaries to be too drastic.