Netanyahu says IDF intends to continue to control buffer zone in Syria

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will continue to "temporarily" control the buffer zone on the Syrian border. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office made the announcement on December 12.

"The deployment is temporary until there is a force committed to the 1974 agreement," RIA Novosti quoted the statement as saying.

It is also specified that the control of the zone including will continue until security is guaranteed at the border.

Netanyahu's office noted that the departure of Bashar al-Assad from the presidency of Syria "created a vacuum" on the Israel-Syria border and in the buffer zone established by the 1974 disengagement agreement.

In the next Syria: what awaits the republic after extremists take over Damascus

The family of President Bashar al-Assad, who fled the country, has been received by Russian Federation

Earlier, on December 8, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, after negotiations with the opposition, left the post of head of state and left the country, instructing to carry out the transfer of power peacefully.

On the same day, the national coalition of revolutionary and opposition forces in Syria said it was working on the formation of a transitional authority. In turn, Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali said that most of the ministers of the Syrian government remain in Damascus, and he himself is ready to cooperate with any elected leadership.

Against this backdrop, the IDF announced the deployment of forces along the Syrian border to ensure the safety of communities in the Golan Heights and Israeli citizens. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the demarcation agreement with Syria has been terminated due to the withdrawal of Syrian troops.

The situation in Syria has escalated following a major attack by militias in Aleppo and Idlib that began on November 28 and led to a Syrian army response against the militants.