Is Israel using Assad's downfall to seize more Syrian land in the Golan Heights? | DW News

Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israeli forces will remain in a Golan Heights buffer zone until border security between Israel and Syria is guaranteed.

Israeli troops seized parts of the heights earlier this week, citing potential security threats from Syria.

The Israeli military has been carrying out strikes in Syria against military targets despite international condemnation.

DW spoke to London School of Economics Professor and Middle East Fawaz Gerges about Israel's actions. He expressed concern that Israel's occupation may become a permanent one.

Marc Weller, an international law professor at the University of Cambridge warned that Israel's actions in the UN buffer zone were likely in breach of international law.

Weller also questioned Israel's claims of self defense when it came to Israel's extensive attacks on Syrian military targets, saying that there appeared to be no risk of imminent attacks from Syria.

Harel Charev from the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University, however, said that Israel's actions were justified by fears of what Syria's newly installed government might do.

The rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led the offensive that resulted in the fall of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad last week, was previously linked to extremist groups like al-Qaeda and the so-called "Islamic State" (IS).

HTS has been designated a terrorist organization by the US and the UK, among others, although there is growing debate about removing that designation.

00:00 Israel occupies Syrian buffer zone
02:05 LSE Professor Fawaz Gerges fears occupation could become permanent
09:46 DW's Stella Männer gives the latest from Damascus
12:05 Cambridge professor Marc Weller discusses Israel's actions
16:56 DW's Emily Gordine updates from Jerusalem
20:26 Harel Chorev explains Israeli military concerns