Moscow has reinforced posts located in the countryside of Daraa and Quneitra governorates near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, where Tel Aviv has revived efforts to build a ‘separation wall’ along the disengagement zone similar to those erected along the borders with Lebanon, Egypt, Gaza, and throughout the West Bank.
Last week, the UN accused Israel of violating a 50-year-old ceasefire agreement with Syria by starting construction work on the wall. Satellite imagery published by AP confirmed extensive construction and road paving extending for 7.5 kilometers along the Alpha Line, with armored vehicles and tanks providing security.
Israeli Knesset member and former defense minister Avigdor Lieberman warned last month: “If Syria continues to be used as a logistical base for our enemies, we will simply seize the Syrian part of Mount Hermon and will not relinquish it until further notice.”
The Israeli violations in occupied Syrian land come as the Russian and Syrian armies recently increased joint operations across the country, targeting western-backed extremist groups.
“Russian forces are conducting aerial and ground monitoring to enhance security, support displaced residents’ return, and maintain stability,” Al-Akhbar reports, adding that the region “previously housed Israeli-backed militants” before a Russia-brokered disengagement deal returned control to the government in Damascus.
Hellbound and Down 