Netanyahu Says Golan Heights to Forever Remain Integral Part of Israel
The Golan Heights will forever remain an integral part of Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday.
Israel is actively strengthening its defenses on the Golan Heights amid the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the capture of a significant part of the country by armed opposition forces. On Sunday, Netanyahu said the agreement reached shortly after the 1973 Yom Kippur War (also known as the Ramadan War) was no longer valid because the Syrian forces had left their positions. Netanyahu ordered the Israel Defense Forces to occupy the buffer zone.
“The Golan Heights will forever remain an integral part of Israel,” Netanyahu told a press conference.
The fall of al-Assad in Syria was a direct result of Israeli strikes against Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah and Iran, the Israeli prime minister added.
Before 1967, the Golan Heights were part of Syria. During the Six-Day War, Israeli forces seized this territory. Following the Yom Kippur War of 1973, the two sides reached a ceasefire and a military disengagement agreement. In 1974, UN peacekeeping posts were established on the Golan Heights. The border line on the Syrian side was designated “Bravo,” while Israel’s line was named “Alpha.”