Saudi Arabia condemns Israel incursion further into Syria territory as ‘sabotaging chances’ for stability

Saudi Arabia has condemned Israel’s seizure of a buffer zone in Syrian territory as an effort to sabotage Syria’s chance of restoring stability, amid Tel Aviv’s exploitation of its neighbour’s evolving situation.

Following the collapse of former President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime and the Syrian opposition’s take-over of much of the country, Israeli forces moved further into Syrian territory from the occupied Golan Heights, seizing the area that had served as a buffer zone for decades.

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced that the decision was made due to apparent fears that the changing situation in Syria after Assad’s fall may pose security threats to Tel Aviv, claiming that the move was “temporary” until the situation became clearer and justifying it by saying the 1974 disengagement agreement between Syria and Israel was no longer valid.

Since the initial move, reports have emerged that Israeli occupation forces have advanced even further beyond the buffer zone, reaching within just dozens of kilometres from the capital, Damascus.

In a statement on Monday, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry then criticised the escalation, stressing that the occupation forces’ act “affirmed Israel’s continued violations of international law and its commitment to sabotaging chances for Syria to reclaim its security, stability and its territorial integrity”.

Riyadh called on the international community to condemn the Israeli move and urged respect for Syria’s sovereignty, reiterating that “the Golan is occupied Syrian land”.

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