France has asked Israel to withdraw from the occupied Golan Heights.

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded in writing to a journalist's question, "What is your reaction to the recent developments in the Golan?" The statement noted that any deployment of troops in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria would constitute a violation of the Forces Withdrawal Agreement signed in 1974.

The statement emphasized that Israel must comply with the agreement signed with Syria in 1974, and it was stated that France fully supports the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) operating in the Syrian Golan Heights and that the security of UNDOF must be ensured.

"WE CALL ON ISRAEL TO WITHDRAW FROM THE REGION"

The statement included the expression, "France calls on Israel to withdraw from the region and to respect Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity" regarding the Golan Heights occupied by Israel.

ISRAEL'S ATTACKS AND OCCUPATION OF SYRIA

Following the intensification of clashes in Syria on November 27, coinciding with the collapse of the 61-year-old Baath regime on December 8, Israeli attacks on Syria increased. The Israeli army, which began to destroy the military infrastructure and capabilities left by the regime's army, expanded its occupation in the Golan Heights, which is Syrian territory.

The Israeli army, which entered the buffer zone around the Golan Heights, advanced its occupation further, reaching as close as 25 kilometers to the capital Damascus. Israel has been occupying the Golan Heights, which belong to Syria, since 1967. The boundaries of the buffer zone and the demilitarized zone were defined by the Forces Withdrawal Agreement signed between Israel and Syria in 1974.