AA / Le Caire / Ibrahim Khazen
Arab countries strongly condemned, in statements on Monday, the Israeli incursion into the demilitarized buffer zone located on the Syrian Golan Heights, after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry called the move “an occupation of Syrian territory and a blatant violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement.”
This agreement led to Israel’s withdrawal from certain Syrian territories, but left the Golan Heights under Israeli control.
Egypt said Israel’s action constituted a violation of international law and Syria’s territorial integrity, calling on the UN Security Council and world powers to shoulder their responsibilities and adopt “a firm stance” against the Israeli assault in Syria.
– Attempted sabotage
The Saudi Foreign Ministry said that “the attacks carried out by the Israeli occupation government, including the capture of the buffer zone in the occupied Golan Heights and the targeting of Syrian territory by the Israeli occupation forces, confirm the Israel’s continued violations of international law and its intention to sabotage Syria’s chances of regaining security, stability and territorial integrity.
The statement underlines “the need for the international community to condemn these Israeli violations and to reaffirm respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria and the fact that the Golan is occupied Syrian Arab land.”
– Dangerous development
Qatar strongly condemned in a statement issued by its Foreign Ministry “the confiscation by the Israeli occupation of the buffer zone with the sister Syrian Arab Republic and neighboring sites”, describing it as “a dangerous development and a blatant attack against the sovereignty and unity of Syria, as well as a flagrant violation of international law.
Doha warned that Israeli policies, including its attempts to seize Syrian territories, would “lead the region to more violence and tension.”
Kuwait, in a statement from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also expressed “its strong condemnation and denunciation of the occupation by Israeli forces of the buffer zone on the Syrian border.”
He described the act as “a blatant violation of international laws and UN Security Council resolutions, which emphasize the need to respect Syria’s sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and regional security.” .
– Unacceptable escalation
In this context, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, speaking before his country’s parliament, said: “We condemn Israel’s actions of entering Syrian territory and taking control of the buffer zone “, according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Safadi stressed that “Israel’s aggression against Syria and the occupation of this territory constitute a violation of international law, an unacceptable escalation and an attack on the sovereignty of an Arab state.”
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry also issued a statement condemning “the occupation by the Zionist entity of the buffer zone with Syria in the Golan and adjacent lands”, saying that “this act represents a blatant violation of international law and relevant resolutions of international legitimacy”.
The Arab League expressed in a statement on Sunday “its full condemnation of Israel, the occupying power, for its illegal attempts to take advantage of internal developments in Syria, whether by seizing additional land in the Golan Heights or by declaring the 1974 disengagement agreement void.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave orders on Sunday to his army to seize the buffer zone of the Golan Heights, an area occupied by Tel Aviv for several decades.
Images released by the Israeli military showed soldiers and armored vehicles in the buffer zone, further consolidating Israel’s hold on the region.
Bashar al-Assad and his family fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of the capital Damascus on Sunday, December 8, marking the collapse of the Baath Party regime, in power in Syria since 1963.
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