Israel is desperately trying to seize as much land as possible by taking advantage of the ongoing political transition in neighbouring Syria. Since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad Regime in Damascus on December 8, 2024, the Jewish Nation has occupied Syrian territories in order to ensure its own safety and security. Experts have acknowledged the fact that Israel is all set to extend its borders.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) captured Mount Hermon, the highest peak in Syria, soon after ousted President al-Assad left Damascus for Moscow on December 8, 2024. The height of Mount Hermon is 2,814mt or 9,250ft (above sea level). It is a strategically important place as its distance from Damascus is just 40km. The flag of the Syrian Government Forces used to fly over Mount Hermon before the fall of al-Assad. However, the Government Forces left their bases on Mount Hermon after the rebel forces, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militant outfit and its affiliate Jaish al-Izza (the Army of Pride), captured the Syrian capital on December 8 (2024). Almost immediately, the IDF prepared the blueprint of occupying Mount Hermon and assigned the task to the Shaldag commando unit. As expected, the Jewish Special Forces did not make any mistakes in the operation.

The Times of Israel recently reported that the IDF was able to capture Mount Hermon without any resistance and hoisted the Israeli flag there. The Zionist Regime has decided to set up its military bases on Mount Hermon in order to target Damascus and other regions of Syria and Lebanon. Defence experts have described Mount Hermon as a natural fortress, stressing that Israel got a quite advantageous position from the military point of view by occupying this peak. It would also be easier for the IDF to monitor the entire southern part of Syria and a large part of Lebanon from Mount Hermon, apart from preventing all possible attacks by the enemies.

According to The Times of Israel, the IDF shall also install advanced radar systems on Mount Hermon. Tel Aviv has already installed such systems on Mount Meron, a mountain in the Upper Galilee region of Israel. However, it is not enough from a strategic point of view as the Iranian Armed Forces and Hezbollah fighters have repeatedly carried out drone and rocket attacks on Israel, avoiding the radar systems installed on Mount Meron. The Israeli Air Defence System has been largely destroyed in the last one year. Once the installation of the radar on Mount Hermon is completed, all the regions of northern Israel shall be fully protected. Having a strategic position on the Syrian border, the IDF gets enough time to install the radar systems.

Defence experts have opined that the occupation of Mount Hermon would make Israel unstoppable in West Asia. Lebanon or Syria would have to think twice before launching attacks on Israel in the coming days. Hezbollah, too, would be in deep trouble. Iran used to supply arms to the Lebanese Shia Islamist paramilitary group through Syria and the Beqaa Valley. The occupation of Mount Hermon would give the IDF the opportunity to completely shut down that smuggling route.

Israel had fully occupied the Golan Heights after the famous Six-Day War of 1967. However, a buffer zone was created there after the 1973 Yom Kippur War. After the fall of Damascus on December 8, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu ordered the IDF to take control of that buffer zone. According to sources, the Israeli Armed Forces have already occupied the demilitarised zones of the Golan Heights. Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq and some other Arab nations issued statements, strongly condemning the Israeli move! The Zionist Regime has argued that it occupied the Golan Heights to strengthen its own security. In addition to expanding the border of Israel, the IDF continues to conduct airstrikes on rebel-controlled Syria. The IDF has carried out more than 500 strikes in Syria since December 8, 2024. The Israeli Air Force bombed important areas, including airports, arsenals, oil depots, Army bases, laboratories and government offices.

Tel Aviv has officially announced that the IDF made the move to prevent the militants from getting access to the weapons after the fall of the al-Assad Regime. Israeli officials have further claimed that the Syrian rebels are pro-Palestine. Hence, they pose a serious threat to Israel. Meanwhile, most of the Arab countries have expressed serious concern over this aggressive attitude of Israel, stressing that the Zionist Regime is disturbing regional peace. However, Tel Aviv has dismissed the claim, informing the UN Security Council that small-scale military operation is being carried out to secure its borders.

In the 1970s, Israel had claimed that its occupation of the Golan Heights was temporary. This time, Tel Aviv did not make the same mistake. The Israeli politicians have made it clear that they have no intention to leave the area, as they want to expand their territories by taking full advantage of the political transition in Syria. Although the US backs the Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights, the global community is against this move.

According to sources, Prime Minister Netanyahu has decided to publish a new map of Israel after the end of the invasion and the occupied areas shall be shown as Jewish lands in the new map. He is desperately trying to fulfil his dream of creating a Greater Israel by ignoring the international pressure.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das