An Israeli army soldier helps a tank maneuver near the fence leading into the UN-patrolled buffer zone, which separates Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights, near the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israel-occupied Golan Heights. AFP
In a statement Friday, Katz said that holding the peak was of major importance for Israel’s security and that it would be necessary to build facilities there to sustain troops through the winter.
The summit of Jabal Al-Shaikh, the highest peak on the eastern Mediterranean coast at 2,814 meters (9,232 feet), gives a commanding view over the plains of southern Syria. It also positions Israeli troops about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the center of Damascus. The mount is divided between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Lebanon and Syria. Only the United States recognizes Israel’s occupation of Syria's Golan Heights.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israeli troops would remain in the zone until another force across the border in Syria could guarantee security. Israeli troops invaded the zone -– set as a demilitarized area inside Syrian territory under truce deals that ended the 1973 Mideast war -- after Bashar al-Assad was ousted last weekend.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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