Golan Heights occupied

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In recent days, Israel has sent more troops to the Golan Heights and occupied the buffer zone there.(Bild: AP)

The advance of the Israeli army into the buffer zone to Syria on the Golan Heights has caused international outrage. The UN reprimanded Israel for this, while Egypt spoke of "exploiting the power vacuum in Syria". 

Since the advance of the Syrian rebel groups towards Damascus, Israel had sent more troops to the Golan region. There, they finally advanced into the demilitarized buffer zone and occupied it with armoured units, among other things. 

"Israeli aggression in Syria"
The UN condemned the action and emphasized that Israel was violating the agreement concluded between the two states in 1974. Egypt said that Israel was exploiting the current power vacuum in Syria to expand its territory.

In recent days, Israel had sent more troops to the Golan Heights and occupied the buffer zone there.(Bild: AP)

The strategically important Golan Heights between Israel and Syria(Bild: AP)

Israeli tanks in the demilitarized zone(Bild: AP)

(Bild: AP)

The government in Cairo appealed to the United Nations to take "a clear position against Israeli aggression in Syria". Qatar also stated that it was observing a "dangerous development". 

Netanyahu defends action
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the action. "No hostile force will be allowed to establish itself on our border", the Prime Minister said in a TV address. He declared the decades-old agreement with Syria on the buffer zone to be over.

Israel had occupied the majority of the Syrian Golan Heights during the Six-Day War in 1967 and later annexed the territories. In 1974, the UN established a buffer zone between the Israeli-annexed and Syrian parts of the Golan Heights. UN blue helmets are stationed there.