Israel Deploys Tanks Along Syrian Frontier in Golan

Cites Concerns of Spillover Fighting

Reuters is reporting that Israel has deployed tanks along the ceasefire line in the Golan Heights, the first time they have done so in over 40 years. Officials cited fears of spillover from fighting on the Syrian side of the line.

For that justification to be true the timing is odd, as while there is still some fighting in the Syrian Golan it seems to have slowed down in the past several weeks, and no indication that the fighting is about to escalate there.

If anything, Syria’s civil war seems to be turning northward, with the battles mostly centering on the city of Homs and the northern Aleppo Province. Though both rebels and government remain in Golan, they seem to have stalemated and no villages have reported changing hands in quite some time.

Beyond that the main rebel faction in Golan, the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade, only last week issued a statement praising Israel and expressing gratitude for Israeli medical aid for wounded fighters. They also said that they would never clash with Israel, despite long-standing territorial disputes along the frontier.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.