The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have taken control of the Syrian part of Mount Harmon, shortly after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, after taking control of the buffer zone on the Syrian border. Although Israeli officials said they will not permanently occupy the mountain, analysts say there is a risk that this will not happen.
These data were revealed in an analysis by CNN International on Saturday (December 14).
CNN said that Mount Harmon, which is 2,814 meters high, is strategically important. It is the highest point in the region.
The distance from the mountain's peak to the Syrian capital is only 35 kilometers. The mountain is considered the most important natural fortress in the region. This means that the mountain's location brings Damascus within Israeli artillery range.
"It is the highest point in the region when you look at Lebanon, Syria, and Israel," said Ephraim Inbar, director of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security. Mount Harmon is strategically important. Israel captured the Syrian Golan Heights in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. After that, an agreement was signed in 1974 to establish a control line between Syria and Israel. After this agreement, Israel has not crossed the line except for limited operations in the past 50 years. But after Assad fled on December 8, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the 1974 agreement with Syria was no longer valid.
After his announcement, the IDF took full control of the Syrian part of the buffer zone. On the same day, they also captured Mount Harmon, located on the Syrian-Lebanese border. Netanyahu also stressed that this occupation was temporary. He said, "We cannot threaten the Israeli community in the Golan Heights like the October 7 attack. We can consider withdrawing Israeli troops if we have a commitment to the 1974 agreement." On December 8, just 12 days after the storming of rebel fighters, Bashar al-Assad's steel-hard regime came to an end. However, the question has arisen as to why Israel is carrying out one attack after another in Syria even after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. According to international media reports, Israeli troops began attacking various military targets in Syria immediately after the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad.