UN calls on Israel to cease military operations in buffer zone with Syria

A senior UN official called on Israel on Wednesday to cease its military operations in the occupied Golan Heights, warning that repeated breaches of Syrian territory were heightening regional instability.

Najat Rochdi, the UN deputy special envoy for Syria, told the Security Council that Israel’s actions were undermining the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, which created a buffer zone in the Golan Heights, restricted military troops on both sides and set up UN peacekeepers to monitor the ceasefire after the 1973 war.

“I received a strong appeal from Foreign Minister [Asaad] Shibani for the UN to act to put an end to these violations,” she said, urging the Security Council to assume its responsibilities.

Following the toppling of Syrian leader Bashar Al Assad in December last year, Israel posted troops into parts of the separation zone on the Golan Heights for the first time since the 1974 accord.

In 1981, Israel moved to formally annex the area, but most countries reject that step and continue to view the Golan as occupied Syrian territory under international law. The UN Security Council declared it “null and void”.

Ms Rochdi's remarks came as Damascus condemned a visit on Wednesday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior officials to southern Syria, where they inspected troops deployed inside the UN-patrolled buffer zone.

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