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Israel has deployed troops to a buffer zone in the occupied Golan Heights following the collapse of the decades-long Assad regime in Syria, the army confirmed on Sunday.
Soldiers have been sent to the area and stationed at "several points necessary for defence" in light of recent events in the country, the army said, citing the possibility of "armed men" entering the zone.
Israeli tanks were seen crossing into the buffer zone near Quneitra on Sunday morning, according to Syrian reports, with shelling heard in the area.
Syrian President Bashar Al Assad fled Damascus overnight, marking an end to more than 50 years of his family's rule, after a shock rebel advance into the capital.
The Israeli army said it "does not interfere in internal events" in Syria but will remain in the buffer zone "as long as necessary" to protect Israelis living in the occupied Golan Heights.
It is the first time Israeli troops have taken up position in the buffer zone since it was created in 1974.
It comes hours after Foreign Minister Gideon Saar claimed "armed forces" entered the buffer zone and attacked UN peacekeeping forces stationed in the area.
"Israel is concerned about violations of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between Israel and Syria, which also pose a threat to its security, the safety of its communities, and its citizens, particularly in the Golan Heights region," he wrote on X.
The military ordered schools in four Druze communities in the northern Golan Heights to hold classes online "in accordance with the situational assessment". It also declared the agricultural areas of Merom Golan, Ein Zivan, Buq'ata and Khirbet Ein Hura near the Syria border a closed military zone, with farmers allowed to enter for only a few hours at a time after co-ordinating with the military.
The developments in Syria sparked widespread comment across Israeli politics. Opposition leader Yair Lapid said they showed why “it is more important than ever to create a strong regional coalition, with Saudi Arabia and the countries of the Abraham Accords, to deal together with regional instability”.
“The Iranian axis has weakened significantly, and Israel needs to strive for an overall political achievement that will also help it in Gaza and the West Bank,” he added.
Far-right Israeli politicians called for their country to take control of the Syrian part of the Golan Heights. Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli said on X there must be a new Israeli “defence zone” on at the 1974 ceasefire line.
Member of Knesset Tzvi Succot called for the same “in light of the new jihadist regime in Syria”. He added that the security boost from such action would be “immense” during a time when the political and military cost “is likely lower than ever”.
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 war, occupying the area and annexing it in 1981. A buffer zone was created as part of a ceasefire agreement and has been patrolled by UN forces for five decades.
The Golan Heights is home to both Israeli settlements and Syrian Druze villages along the buffer zone.
While Mr Assad's whereabouts is not immediately clear, Israeli media outlets have reported that the Syrian President, who took over from his father Hafez Al Assad in 2000, fled to a Russian base in Syria and was looking to reach Moscow.
Israel has struck Syria repeatedly since the Syrian civil war began in 2011 and has escalated attacks since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, claiming to be targeting Iran-linked weapons facilities used to support Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group.