UN Sends New Troops to IDF’s Buffer Zone in Syria, Demanding Israeli Withdrawal

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the UNDOF

Kazakhstan soldiers serving in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force at Camp Faouar, May 7, 2024.

The United Nations has dispatched reinforcements to Syria following the Israeli military incursion across a decades-old ceasefire line, which in turn had been triggered by the abrupt collapse of the Syrian government to an Islamist-led rebel coalition, Newsweek reported Wednesday, citing a UN diplomat familiar with the matter.

Israeli troops snapped atop Mount Hernon, which straddles the border between Syria and Lebanon

Earlier, PM Benjamin Netanyahu announced the IDF’s temporary seizure of the Golan Heights buffer zone, citing the 1974 agreement’s collapse due to the situation in Syria.#Syria
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— Avinash K S?? (@AvinashKS14) December 9, 2024

The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) was established in the wake of the 1973 Yom Kippur War to monitor the ceasefire between Israel and Syria. Created by United Nations Security Council Resolution 350 on May 31, 1974, the mission’s mandate includes enforcing Resolution 338 (1973), which demanded an immediate ceasefire and called for the implementation of Resolution 242, aimed at securing peace in the Middle East.

Before the Syrian Civil War, the ceasefire line between Israel and Syria remained largely quiet, with few significant incidents. However, as the war intensified, clashes in Quneitra spilled into the UN-monitored buffer zone separating Israeli and Syrian forces. Growing security concerns prompted several countries contributing troops to the UNDOF to reconsider their involvement, leading to withdrawals and a subsequent reorganization of the peacekeeping mission.

The Purple Line was the ceasefire line between Israel and Syria after the 1967 Six-Day War which served as the de facto border buffer zone between the two countries.

The Purple Line buffer zone taken by the IDF in Syria. / Aaeckert on wordpress.com

Following the collapse of the Assad regime in early December 2024, Israeli forces advanced into the buffer zone, prompting an international response.

The UN diplomat told Newsweek that the UNDOF had “reinforced a couple of their positions” on the Golan Heights over the past two days.

“UNDOF’s freedom of movement is severely constrained in the current context,” the UN official noted, adding that “It is imperative that the UN peacekeepers are allowed carry out their mandated tasks without hindrance.”
Good luck.

“The Mission has consistently called on all parties to maintain the ceasefire,” the UN official added, citing agreements dating back 50 years that involved a Syrian government that no longer exists. “What is critical is for all parties to refrain from any actions in violation of the 1974 agreement on Disengagement and to respect UNDOF and its mandate,” the diplomat concluded.

UN Secretary-General’s Office spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing Monday, “The peacekeepers at UNDOF informed the Israeli counterparts that these actions would constitute a violation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement that there should be no military forces or activities in the area of separation, and Israel and Syria must continue to uphold the terms of that 1974 agreement and preserve stability in the Golan.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week referred to the IDF incursion into the Golan Heights buffer zone as a “temporary defensive position” taken because the 1974 ceasefire agreement had “collapsed” after Syrian troops abandoned their positions. He said he ordered the move “to ensure that no hostile force embeds itself right next to the border of Israel.”

The UN official who spoke to Newsweek added “It’s important to stress that all of the positions that they have are still currently occupied. None of them have been vacated and no personnel have been relocated or evacuated. They still will have their full complement of over 1300 uniform personnel, and they’re still reporting to UNHQ every day on what they see, and UNHQ is providing updates to the Security Council on what they see on both sides, on the A-line and the B-line.”