 "'What we are seeing is...': Citing breach of 1974 pact, UN envoy says Israel must stop airstrikes, ground Invasion in Syria")
The UN’s special envoy to Syria has cautioned Israel that its airstrikes and ground invasion into Syrian territory must stop, saying that these actions violate the 1974 agreement between Israel and Syria.
“I am not in contact with the Israelis. But of course, the United Nations in New York, they are. And you know, the peacekeepers on the Golan Heights are, of course, in daily contact with with Israelis. And the message from New York is the same. What we are seeing is a violation of the disengagement agreement from 1974, so we will obviously, with our colleagues in New York, follow this extremely closely in the hours and days ahead,” The Guardian quoted Geir Pedersen as saying during a media briefing in Geneva.
As Israeli troops reportedly crossed into Syria from the Golan Heights, an area Israel captured from Syria in 1967 and annexed in 1981, Israel said it is implementing “limited and temporary measures” to secure its safety.
Israel, meanwhile, rejected reports suggesting its troops had advanced within 25 km of Damascus.
Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesperson, called the claims “false,” saying that the reports of Israeli tanks approaching Damascus were inaccurate.
“The reports circulating in the media about the alleged advancement of Israeli tanks towards Damascus are false,” The Guardian quoted Shoshani as saying
Shoshani clarified that Israeli forces are stationed in a buffer zone between the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights and Syria.
Israel’s military had previously announced that troops would be deployed in the buffer zone and other strategic locations deemed essential for its defence.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIsrael launched a series of airstrikes on the Syrian capital overnight.
According to the Associated Press, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Israel conducted over 300 airstrikes across Syria since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad.
Israeli media has said the IDF is “systematically destroying” what remains of Assad’s military.
Reacting to the development, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and turkey condemned Israeli troop presence across Syrian border.
“The assaults carried out by the Israeli occupation government, including the seizure of the buffer zone in the Golan Heights and the targeting of Syrian territory, further confirm Israel’s ongoing violation of international law and its determination to undermine Syria’s efforts to restore its security, stability, and territorial integrity,” Saudi Arabia said in a statement.
The Turkish foreign ministry says it strongly condemns Israel’s entry into the buffer zone between Israel and Syria.
“Israel is once again displaying its occupation mentality,” Reuters quoted the foreign ministry as saying in a statement.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Qatari foreign ministry said it is “unacceptable” that Israel is “exploiting the current situation in Syria” and that it is “violating its sovereignty.”
With inputs from agencies
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