The Golan Heights is an area of only 1,000 square kilometres, but its size belies its significance. It offers a strategic military vantage point over Syria, Israel, Lebanon and Jordan, and it supplies fresh water in a dry region.
Israel seized most of the territory from Syria in 1967 and unilaterally annexed it in 1981. On Sunday, as Bashar al-Assad’s regime collapsed, Israeli forces advanced into a UN-monitored buffer zone – and beyond – for the first time in 50 years.
Israeli officials claim it is a “limited and temporary” measure to prevent “hostile forces” establishing themselves on their border. Egypt’s foreign ministry has accused Israel of “exploiting the power vacuum” to occupy more Syrian territory.
Security sources say that Israeli tanks have been seen just 25 kilometres southwest of Damascus, although the army denies that it is advancing on the capital.
The Israeli army has also bombed the country more than 300 times in the last few days, targeting suspected chemical weapons sites, air force bases, weapons depots and Syria’s naval fleet.
The Israeli military estimates it has already taken out 80 per cent of the former regime’s military capabilities, which Israel fears could fall into the hands of anti-Israel rebel groups – unknown entities compared to Assad’s regime, which had worked unofficially with Israel to maintain peace on the border for the last five decades.
According to Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, the Golan will remain part of Israel “for eternity”. But the leader of the Syrian rebellion’s family roots run deep in the territory – a badge he wears proudly. His nom de guerre “al-Jolani” is Arabic for “from the Golan”. The significance of this rocky plateau will only increase.
