Israel Seeks To Create Buffer Zone With Syria, Lebanon

The ground operations of the Israeli army kicked off on October 2, 2024, aimed at clearing southern Lebanon in order to facilitate the retreat of fighters of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah to the north of the Litani River. One of the objectives of the military operation is to create a buffer zone at the border between occupied Palestine and Lebanon.

In addition to Lebanon, the movements of Israeli troops and reports from sources affiliated with terrorist groups and the Israeli regime indicate that the regime’s officials plan to create a buffer zone scheme at the border between Syria and occupied territories of Palestine as well.

Media outlets close to the Syrian militants claimed on October 11 that a group of Israeli army’s infantry forces, supported by several armored vehicles, entered the village of Kwdana in the Quneitra Governorate of Syria. However, local officials denied this claim, when they appeared in border areas near the occupied Golan heights.

A few days later, Israeli military forces cleared some minefields and established new barriers in the Golan Heights and border areas with Syria on October 15. These actions have fueled speculation about ground operations in Syrian territory aimed at attacking Hezbollah from eastern Lebanon and creating a buffer zone between Syria and occupied territories of Palestine.

Given the current situation in the Israeli-occupied territories, the initiation of ground operation against Syria seems unlikely, because even a limited ground operation could complicate the situation for the Tel Aviv regime due to the presence of Russian forces in the border areas of Syria with occupied territories of Palestine.

Over the past years, the Israeli regime’s army has repeatedly targeted the positions of the resistance axis and the Syrian army with missile and air raids. Following the onset of Operation Al-Aqsa Storm and Syria’s significant role in supporting the Islamic resistance axis, Israeli army’s air raids against various areas in Syria have increased. Most of the Israeli regime’s attacks in the past year have aimed at assassinating senior resistance commanders and demolishing logistic centers as well as important ammunition depots. During these attacks by the regime’s forces, hundreds of resistance fighters and even Syrian civilians have been martyred and injured.