Israel’s government has approved a plan to expand settlements in the Golan Heights, an area Israel captured from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the move, saying it was necessary due to a “new front” emerging along Israel’s border with Syria after the Assad regime fell to an Islamist-led rebel coalition. Netanyahu expressed his goal to double the population in the Golan Heights, which remains under Israeli control despite being deemed illegally occupied under international law.
Following Assad’s departure, Israeli forces moved into a buffer zone separating the Golan Heights from Syria, claiming that the shift in power in Damascus had caused ceasefire agreements to collapse. Despite the expansion plans, Netanyahu stated that Israel had no interest in conflict with Syria and would base its policies on “the reality on the ground.”
Currently, over 30 Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights are home to around 20,000 Israelis, alongside 20,000 Syrians, mostly Druze Arabs who remained in the area after Israel took control. Netanyahu affirmed that Israel would continue to hold onto and develop the region.
This announcement follows recent tensions, with Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, criticizing Israel for its ongoing airstrikes in Syria. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported over 450 Israeli airstrikes since December 8, targeting military facilities. Al-Sharaa condemned the strikes as crossing “red lines” but clarified that Syria was not seeking conflict. Meanwhile, Israel maintains the strikes are necessary to prevent weapons from reaching extremists.
Amid these developments, Syria’s new leadership, with al-Sharaa at the helm of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), continues to form a transitional government. The US has acknowledged contact with HTS, which it still considers a terrorist organization. The international community is watching closely as Syria’s political and security landscape continues to shift.
