Israel says Syrian front likely quieter

Israel's defence minister says the Golan Heights frontier between Syria and Israel should be quieter now central rule by Damascus has been restored.

Israel has described the Syrian civil war as effectively over and predicted that the Golan Heights frontier between the countries will be quieter with central rule by Damascus restored there.

President Bashar al-Assad's sweeping away of rebels in southwestern Syria has worried Israel, which last week downed a Syrian warplane that it said breached a Golan buffer zone.

It also warned Iranian forces backing Assad against deploying there.

But Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman sounded more upbeat on Thursday during a tour of anti-aircraft batteries.

"From our perspective, the situation is returning to how it was before the civil war, meaning there is a real address, someone responsible, and central rule," he told reporters, referring to a decades-old stand-off between Israel and Syria.

The Syrian conflict erupted in 2011 and Russian intervention in 2015 helped to turn the tide in Assad's favour.

Asked whether Israel should be less wary of possible flare-ups on the Golan - much of which it seized from Syria in a 1967 war and annexed in a move not recognised abroad - Lieberman said: "I believe so. I think this is also in Assad's interest."

For quiet to hold, Lieberman said, Syria must abide by a 1974 UN-monitored armistice that set up demilitarised zones on the Golan.

He reiterated Israel's demand that Iran not set up military bases against it in Syria, nor that Syria be used to smuggle arms to Hezbollah guerrillas in neighbouring Lebanon.

"We are not looking for friction, but we will know how to respond to any provocation and any challenge," he said.


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world