Today's Situation In Syria And Israel's Golan

 Nadene Goldfoot                                        

      . Maintained by the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), the narrow, 80-kilometer-long demilitarized strip extends along two separation lines."

"Syria is currently governed by a transitional authority under acting president Ahmed al-Sharaa, AKA Jolani, terrorist . The country is undergoing a delicate post-conflict recovery and economic reintegration, while navigating rising tensions along its southern and northeastern borders". We Americans thought this area was the least of Israel's problems;  that they had their hands full on the border with Lebanon.

 Israel occupied the Golan Heights in 1967, a very necessary move as they were being attacked from there,  and unilaterally annexed the territory in 1981, imposing Israeli civil law. It is heavily integrated into Israel, with dozens of established settlements and a population composed of both Jewish Israelis and Druze residents.  This was important to do because Syrians bombed Israel from  up high in Golan, dropping bombs down below on Israel.  Only the USA recognize Israel in this as the UN is useless, constantly siding with the Muslims.  

"The Syrian civil war that began in 2011 increased the threat to Israel making Israel’s unwillingness to give up the Golan look prescient. Iran, Hezbollah, and ISIS have fought a war that is so destructive Syria may never be reconstituted as a single nation with its previous borders. Each of those parties pose a risk to Israel, especially Iran, which seeks to build bases in Syria from which it could launch attacks against Israel. Hezbollah has also attempted to establish a beachhead near the Golan to add to the threat they already present from Lebanon. Syria under Assad or a future leader will also be a threat in the absence of a peace agreement.

On March 21, 2019, President Donald Trump announced in a tweet: “After 52 years it is time for the United States to fully recognize Israel’s Sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is of critical strategic and security importance to the State of Israel and Regional Stability!” He made it official on March 25 following a meeting with Netanyahu. 

Trump’s announcement was welcomed by Israelis across the political spectrum and the Wall Street Journal noted, “Recognizing the Golan sends a message to Russia, Syria’s patron, that the U.S. recognizes that the civil war has changed Syrian reality. There is no returning to a nonexistent status quo ante.”

Southern Border Incursions

Israel seized control of a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria in December 2024, following the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar Assad in an insurgent offensive. Israeli officials initially described the move as temporary to protect their borders from militant groups, but more recently top Israeli officials have said they plan to occupy the buffer zone in Syria indefinitely.

• Daraa & Quneitra: Tensions have flared near the UNDOF-patrolled buffer zone as Israeli forces carried out military incursions and shelling in villages such as Abdin.  Abdin is a village in southern Syria, administratively part of the Daraa Governorate, located west of Daraa. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Abdin had a population of 1,454 in the 2004 census. The village was listed in 16th-century Ottoman tax records.
• The UN-patrolled buffer zone refers to "the Area of Separation (AOS) between Israel and Syria in the Golan Heights, established following the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. Maintained by the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), the narrow, 80-kilometer-long demilitarized strip extends along two separation lines."
•  Residents and local youth have actively resisted these patrols with roadblocks and stone-throwing , leading to artillery fire and retaliatory engagements .  The Syrian Foreign Ministry alongside governments in Jordan, Qatar, and the Gulf Cooperation Council have formally condemned the operations as a violation of sovereignty .Fighting has escalated between the central government's army and the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the northeast. The renewed combat operations have occasionally impacted nearby detention facilities, drawing international concern as global partners work to repatriate citizens previously held in refugee camps. 

Economy & Recovery

• Trade Expansions: Syria’s General Authority for Borders and Customs recently signed agreements to develop and operate two dry ports in Adra (Damascus outskirts) and Aleppo with CMA CGM .
• Rebuilding Infrastructure: National consultative workshops led by the UN in Syria are actively designing the country's public works programs to support employment and inclusive recovery . 
• Foreign Energy: The Syrian Petroleum Co. has secured offshore oil and gas agreements with energy partners, including U.S. firm Chevron . 
• Resource:
• https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/un-security-council-extends-golan-heights-peacekeeping-mandate-for-6-months/3617841
• https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/un-security-council-extends-golan-heights-peacekeeping-mandate-for-6-months/3617841
• https://www.google.com/search?q=Golan+Heights%2C+reference-Jewish+source&sca_esv=12c5d7b316a6f56c&sxsrf=APpeQnsoUwlvy8iQ2nESLzTpEgFEz_uQ8A%3A1782874004958&source=hp&ei=lH9Eaov2NZbF0PEP1aHvoQg&iflsig=ABILxe8AAAAAakSNpGg
• https://jewishvirtuallibrary.org/history-and-overview-of-the-golan-heights
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdin,_Daraa_Governorate
• https://apnews.com/article/syria-israel-quneitra-daraa-clashes-d48b2f34ee0501bc07de546f2b90ca21