Colonel Khodarenok: Israel will limit itself to capturing the Golan Heights in Syria
The Israel Defense Forces denied information about its advance towards Damascus, saying that troops remain in the demilitarized zone. Earlier, the media reported that Israeli tanks moved beyond the buffer zone in the Golan Heights and took up positions 20 km from the Syrian capital. In addition, after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, the Israeli Air Force attacked more than 200 Syrian facilities. How the Jewish state will be able to take advantage of the situation in Syria and whether the IDF will take Damascus is in the material of the military observer of the Newspaper.En" by Mikhail Khodarenka.
Al Mayadeen TV channel reported that military equipment of the Israel Defense Forces was spotted about 20 kilometers from Damascus: According to the channel, Israeli tanks went beyond the buffer zone of the Golan Heights, passed through the city of Quneitra and are located on the outskirts of the Syrian capital. At the same time, the IDF subsequently denied this information.
"Statements about the advance of the Israeli army towards Damascus or vice versa do not correspond to reality. The armed forces are in the demilitarized zone in defensive positions near the border in order to protect the Israeli borders," Avihai Edri, an Arabic-speaking representative of the Israeli army, said on the social network X ( quoted by RIA Novosti ).
At the same time, the Israeli Air Force (Air Force), after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime, launched rocket and bomb attacks on more than 250 objects and targets in Syria. Galey IDF Radio describes these raids as the largest air operation in the history of the Israeli Air Force. Mainly, combat aircraft and helicopters of aviation and aviation weapons came under attack. The purpose of the bombing and rocket attacks by the Israeli Air Force is generally clear - it remains to be seen how the rebel formations will take advantage of Assad's air force legacy. And if there are no planes and helicopters, there is no problem.
Israel also attacked the port and military installations in Latakia province in Syria. According to TASS, damage was caused to the part of the port where the Naval forces of the Syrian army remained. As reported by The American Wall Street Journal, as a result of the attack, the warships of the Syrian army were destroyed, on the sides of which there were dozens of sea-to-sea missiles.
What does the Golan Heights have to do with it?
Now let's figure out what the buffer zone is and what the Golan Heights have to do with it. The Golan is a mountainous plateau of volcanic origin with an area of 1.8 thousand square kilometers, located in southern Syria and northern Israel. It is bounded in the west by Lake Kinneret and the Hula Valley, in the south by the Yarmouk River, in the north by Mount Hermon, and in the east by the dry riverbed of Wadi Raqqad, which is filled with water during the season.
Most of the Golan Heights are located at an altitude of more than a thousand meters above sea level. For example, Damascus is perfectly visible from Mount Hermon (2,236 m). In addition, the Golan Heights serve as an important source of drinking water for Israel - they supply up to a third of all water consumed by the Jewish state. Water and the national security of the country are the main reasons why Israel will never give up the Golan Heights to anyone and will fight for them to the last drop of blood.
In 1967, during the Six-Day War, Israel captured more than two thirds of the territory of the Golan Heights. In 1974, an agreement was signed on the separation of forces of the parties, which provided for the creation of a demilitarized zone along the separation line and the presence of UN peacekeepers there. In December 1981, the Israeli Knesset adopted the "Law on the Golan Heights", which unilaterally proclaimed the sovereignty of the Jewish State over the occupied territory.
Until recently, the Golan Heights were divided into three parts: the territory controlled by the Syrian authorities, the lands occupied by Israel, and the area where the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force is stationed (an area more than 75 km long and 200 m to 10 km wide, it is called the buffer zone). On both sides of the separation zone there were restricted areas in which Israel and Syria had to adhere to the established limit in the number of armed forces and weapons.
Now it all seems to be in the past.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already stated that the Golan Heights will forever remain under Israeli control. According to him, this guarantees the security and sovereignty of Israel.
Will Israel go further?
Apparently, Syria will not be able to regain this territory in the foreseeable historical period. It will take many more years until, instead of the collapsed regime of Bashar al-Assad, a capable and well-established state with modern and combat-ready armed forces is formed on the territory of Syria.
The question arises - will the Israel Defense Forces go further? And do they have plans to capture Damascus or bite off a much larger piece of Syrian territory? Most likely, the IDF at this stage will limit itself to seizing the territory of the Golan Heights in full and will take all possible measures to fortify the area, turning the heights into a powerful fortified area.
A large-scale armed conflict between rebel groups and the Israel Defense Forces is unlikely at this stage of the development of the situation. As a last resort, it will be limited to minor shootings. In addition, the impressions of the defeated Hezbollah movement by Israel are still very fresh in the memory of all the fighters of the Syrian opposition.
The opinion of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.
Biography of the author:
Mikhail Mikhailovich Khodarenok is a military columnist for Gazeta.Ru", retired colonel.
He graduated from the Minsk Higher Engineering Anti-Aircraft Missile School (1976), the Military Air Defense Command Academy (1986).
Commander of the S-75 anti-aircraft missile division (1980-1983).
Deputy commander of the anti-aircraft missile regiment (1986-1988).
Senior Officer of the General Staff of the Air Defense Forces (1988-1992).
Officer of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff (1992-2000).
Graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (1998).
Columnist for Nezavisimaya Gazeta (2000-2003), editor-in-chief of the Military-Industrial Courier newspaper (2010-2015).
Mikhail Khodarenok
