This photo taken on Dec. 8, 2024 shows Israeli troops near the buffer zone between Syria and Israel in the Golan Heights. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Sunday that its troops have entered the buffer zone between Israel and Syria after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's government. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua)
JERUSALEM, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Sunday that its troops have entered the buffer zone between Israel and Syria after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's government.
The IDF said in a statement that it "has deployed forces in the buffer zone and other areas deemed necessary for defense."
The military added that it aims to establish a defensive line in the Golan Heights and prevent movement from Syria toward the border.
While emphasizing that it is "not interfering with the internal events in Syria," the IDF warned that it "will continue to act as necessary to preserve the buffer zone and defend Israel and its civilians."
School studies in four Druze communities in the northern Golan Heights, including Buq'ata, Ein Qiniye, Mas'ade, and Majdal Shams, were cancelled, and the students were called to carry on with educational activity online.
Additionally, agricultural areas of Merom Golan-Ein Zivan and Buq'ata-Khirbet Ein Hura in the Golan Heights were declared "a closed military zone," the IDF said.
On Friday, the IDF announced that it was reinforcing its ground and air forces along the border and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.
The buffer zone, a UN-monitored demilitarized area established under the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between Israel and Syria, is intended to remain free of military presence. ■
This photo taken on Dec. 8, 2024 shows Israeli troops in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Sunday that its troops have entered the buffer zone between Israel and Syria after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's government. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua)
A man looks at the regions of Syria in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Dec. 8, 2024. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Sunday that its troops have entered the buffer zone between Israel and Syria after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's government. (Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua)
This photo taken on Dec. 8, 2024 shows Israeli troops near the buffer zone between Syria and Israel in the Golan Heights. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Sunday that its troops have entered the buffer zone between Israel and Syria after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's government. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua)
This photo taken on Dec. 8, 2024 shows the buffer zone between Syria and Israel in the Golan Heights. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Sunday that its troops have entered the buffer zone between Israel and Syria after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's government. (Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua)
This photo taken on Dec. 8, 2024 shows Israeli troops in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Sunday that its troops have entered the buffer zone between Israel and Syria after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's government. (Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua)
