03.02.2025 20:10
There is increased activity in the Golan Heights, which are under the occupation of the Israeli army. Satellite images examined by the U.S. press reveal that Tel Aviv has established new military bases in the area it describes as a "temporary occupation."
The American Washington Post (WP) reported that Israel, which claims that its presence in Syria is temporary, has built two new military bases in the Golan Heights, which it occupies.
ISRAEL IS EXPANDING IN THE GOLAN HEIGHTS
WP published a report based on satellite images and the opinions of experts interpreting these images, stating that Israel's military expansion activities in the occupied Golan Heights have been proven. The images revealed that despite Israel's claims to the local population and the international community that its presence in the region would be temporary, it has begun to establish two military bases.
SATELLITE IMAGES EXAMINED
The satellite images examined by the Washington Post show more than half a dozen buildings and vehicles at the Israeli base surrounded by walls, as well as a similar construction site located about 8 kilometers to the south of this base. Both bases, which have raised concerns among the local population, are connected to the lands in the Golan Heights occupied by Israel since 1967 by new dirt roads.
NEW CONSTRUCTION SITES STAND OUT
Several kilometers south of the first base, a cleared area is seen, which experts speaking to WP have described as a "third military base." These two bases and the cleared area are located in a place designated as a buffer zone and demilitarized zone by the Forces Withdrawal Agreement signed in 1974. The satellite images also draw attention to a new road between the buffer zone and the village of Kodana, located about 16 kilometers south of Quneitra province. William Goodhind from Contested Grounds, which documents and analyzes military events using satellite images, noted that the first base could be used for observation, while the second could provide better access to roads in the region, adding that a third military base could also be established in the cleared area.
NEW SYRIAN GOVERNMENT'S REACTION TO ISRAEL
The new Syrian government's Defense Minister Murhef Ebu Kasra described Israel's occupation of Syrian territory as a "violation against the Syrian people." Ebu Kasra stated that Israel's occupation is not legitimate, saying, "(Israel) had a problem with Iran, we freed them from Iran." Ebu Kasra called for Israel to withdraw from the occupied Syrian territories, stating that Tel Aviv could protect its citizens "from their previous positions."
ISRAEL'S ATTACKS ON SYRIA
Following the intensification of clashes in Syria on November 27, 2024, and the simultaneous collapse of the 61-year-old Baath regime on December 8, 2024, the Israeli army increased its attacks on the country. The Israeli army, which began to destroy the military infrastructure and capabilities left by the regime 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 within 20 kilometers of the capital, Damascus. Israel has occupied the Golan Heights, which belong to Syria, since 1967. The borders of the buffer zone and the demilitarized zone were determined by the Forces Withdrawal Agreement signed between Israel and Syria in 1974.