Satellite Images Show Israeli Construction Along Golan Heights DMZ
Israel’s military appears to have expanded construction within the demilitarized zone separating the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria, a report based on satellite images of the area indicates.
The Associated Press published the report on Monday, featuring high-resolution images of active construction along the Alpha Line, the UN-patrolled DMZ’s ceasefire boundary. The images, which were taken on November 5, show that the construction of new roads, fence lines, and embankments span over 7.5 kilometers, starting near the Israeli town of Majdal Shams, where a July rocket strike killed 12 children.
The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) confirmed to the AP that Israeli troops had entered the demilitarized zone, with UNDOF spokesperson Nick Birnback emphasizing to the AP that “no military forces, equipment, or activity” is allowed from either country.
“In this regard, UNDOF has observed in some instances, IDF personnel, Israeli excavators, other construction equipment, and the construction itself encroach into the area of separation.”
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in 1981. The Alpha Line and DMZ were established in 1974 following the 1973 Yom Kippur War, with UNDOF tasked with preventing the return of open hostilities.
Although Israel has not publicly addressed the project, it sent a letter to the UN in June citing alleged Syrian violations of the cease-fire agreement by civilians and armed forces.
While there has been little active combat between Israeli and Syrian forces along the Alpha Line, IDF airstrikes in Syria have increased in recent months as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government is a close ally of Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the militia’s benefactor, Iran.
