Israeli Forces Enter Syria for First Time in 50 Years

The Israeli Defense Forces have entered Syria for the first time in 50 years, according to the Israeli outlet The Times of Israel.

Following the Syrian rebel groups’ toppling of former leader Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Israeli forces entered the Golan Heights on Sunday, territory in southwestern Syria that it has been eyeing since the 1960s. Rebel groups ended Assad’s rule as president on December 7 after seizing Damascus.

In a statement, the IDF said: “In accordance with the situational assessment following the recent events in Syria, including the entry of armed personnel into the buffer zone, the IDF has deployed forces in the buffer zone and in several other places necessary for its defense, to ensure the safety of the communities of the Golan Heights and the citizens of Israel.

“We emphasize that the IDF is not interfering with the internal events in Syria. The IDF will continue to operate as long as necessary in order to preserve the buffer zone and defend Israel and its civilians.”

Newsweek reached out to the IDF and the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment via email.

Israel entering Syria is significant as the country embroiled in war since October 7, 2023 could be opening up a fourth front, as the IDF is fighting Lebanon, Iran, and Gaza.

Prior to this instance, the IDF had not entered Syria since the Agreement on Disengagement that Israel and Syria signed in 1974. It served as a ceasefire agreement and called for both countries to maintain a buffer zone, in addition to ending the Yom Kippur war. Israel has reportedly entered the zone briefly on numerous occasions.

The IDF’s deployment in Syria is reported to be temporary and was done in conjunction with the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), which is tasked with maintaining the buffer zone between the two countries.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Israeli tanks and armored vehicles were seen deployed in Quneitra, and Israeli forces approached civilian homes in the village of Al-Hamidiyah, north of Quneitra. The organization also alleged that Israeli forces “opened fire on a young man” and arrested two others days before, and “arrested all the residents of the village of Rasm Al-Rawadhi and took them to the village school.”

In its deployment, the Israeli Air Force was also reportedly striking targets to destroy government assets that could potentially be used against the Israeli forces by rebels, according to The New York Times.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu celebrated the collapse of Assad’s regime in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on December 8.

He said: “This is a historic day for the Middle East. The collapse of the Assad regime, the tyranny in Damascus, offers great opportunity but also is fraught with significant dangers. We send a hand of peace to all those beyond our border in Syria: to the Druze, to the Kurds, to the Christians, and to the Muslims who want to live in peace with Israel.”

The U.N. has previously accused Israel of “severely violating” the Agreement on Disengagement after continuing to pursue a major construction project of roadways and a buffer zone along the Demilitarized Zone separating the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights territory from Syria.

The IDF’s deployment to the Golan Heights may not be entirely what it seems, as it has been a long-desired territory that was captured by Israel in 1967 in the Six-Day War and annexed the region in 1981. The 155-square-mile Demilitarized Zone with approximately 50,000 occupants is recognized internationally as occupied Syrian territory, despite the fact that President-elect Donald Trump said that the U.S. would recognize Israel’s sovereignty in the area in 2019.