IDF statements detail that the ongoing invasion of southern Syria is getting broader and broader, with officials saying that they have carried out dozens of raids even deeper into Syria in recent weeks. They did not clarify exactly how deep they’ve gone, but there have been recent reports of them moving into the Quneitra Governorate and the Daraa Governorate in force, putting Israeli troops not far from the Syria-Jordan border.
Israel is claiming the region poses a threat to Israeli security, particularly the security of the already-occupied Golan Heights, and says most of the raids are about taking arms away from the locals in the area. Signs are that this is more than just about taking guns (and personal computers) from Syrians, and is giving the appearance of another protracted occupation.
Beyond Israel building military bases inside the newly seized territory and saying their presence will continue “indefinitely,” Syria’s Druze minority in Quneitra is reporting that the Israeli forces are offering them entry permits to allow them to go into Israel during the day to work, so long as they return to Israeli-occupied Syria at night.
Such permits wouldn’t make much sense if Israel’s plan was for a very temporary presence in that part of Syria. Moreover, IDF forces are said to have couched the offers to the Druze as the same arrangement they made with Palestinians they allow to work inside Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has just recently announced his intention to remain in southern Syria for an “unlimited” time, and that Israel will not allow the Syrian military to have any forces inside Syrian territory south of the capital city of Damascus. He insists Quneitra, Daraa, and Suwaya Governorates must be fully demilitarized.
This suggests Israel increasingly views the part of Syria that is south of Damascus as either Israeli-occupied territory, or territory that Israel just hasn’t gotten around to occupying yet. Locals in southern Syria have rallied in force in protests Monday to denounce the Israeli dictates, saying that they violate the sovereignty of Syria.
Though Israel was cheering the regime change in Syria late last year, and Netanyahu even took credit for it. Israel remained hostile to the new Syrian government, however, and used that pretext to launch an invasion almost immediately after Assad’s ouster, an invasion that the US has largely supported.
