Israel orders troops to remain in Syria throughout winter

Israel has ordered its troops to remain in Syria throughout the winter including the strategic Jabal al-Shaykh mountain which was occupied by them after the fall of president Bashar al-Assad.

The orders were issued by Minister of Military Affairs Israel Katz on Friday.

Katz said, in the orders, said that he had issued the order during an assessment the previous day with the Israeli army’s chief of staff Herzi Halevi and other officers.

He said that due to the situation in Syria, it is of critical security importance to maintain our presence at the Jabal al-Shaykh. He added everything must be done to ensure the (army’s) readiness on-site to enable the troops to stay there despite the challenging weather conditions.

Israel had started its push to occupy more Syrian land on Sunday, after foreign-backed militants led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) announced the fall of Assad’s government after a rapid two-week onslaught.

Israeli forces seized

The so-called buffer zone, which separates the occupied Golan Heights from the rest of Syria, was seized by Israeli forces. in violation of a 1974 disengagement agreement.

The regime forces had entered several towns in Quneitra, forcibly evacuating residents.