Israeli forces expand control along Syria border buffer zone

DAMASCUS/TEL AVIV: Israeli forces expanded their control in the buffer zone along the border with Syria, capturing additional territory, according to reports.

An advisor to the Israeli Prime Minister confirmed that the occupying forces was establishing a new security zone on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights.

Read more: United States: ISIS will not be allowed to exploit the situation in Syria

This drew sharp criticism from the United Nations (UN), with a spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General stating that Israel’s presence in the Syrian buffer zone constituted  a violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement.

The 1974 agreement was designed to maintain peace between the two nations following the Six-Day War.

Meanwhile, Syrian rebel commander, Abu Mohaamad al-Julani, head of the Ha’yat Tahrir al-Sham, appointed Mohammad al-Bashir as the head of Syria’s transitional government.

al-Bashir had previously led the administration of a small rebel-controlled area. He is expected to take charge of the interim government.

Sources close to the Syrian rebels confirmed the nomination, although no official  announcement was made.

Similarly, the former Prime Minister within Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Muhammad al-Jalali, agreed to transfer power to the rebel group, ending 24-year long reign of Bashar al-Assad.

The Alawite leader fled to Russia following the fall of his government. Meanwhile, the future of Assad’s military remains uncertain as the dynamics of power shift in the region.

Allegedly, normal life has returned to Damascus, the Syrian capital, with reports indicating that traffic has resumed and banks announced their reopening.

Long lines of vehicles could be observed heading towards the capital, as rebel forces apparently work to ‘restore’ order.

Meanwhile, long lines were recorded across the Turkey-Syria border as Syrians fled yet another change in the war-torn nation. al-Julani and his group, HTS, have been affiliated with al-Qaeda, with many Syrians fearing a government similar to that of ISIS.

Read more: European countries put Syrian asylum bids on hold

Fearing yet another surge of refugees, most European countries halted asylum applications of Syrians. Austrian chancellor, Karl Nehammer, not only put a stop to Syrian asylum applications, but ordered reexamination of asylums already granted.

With the rise of far-right parties across Europe promising a clampdown on immigration, Germany, which took in over a million Syrian refugees in 2015, is going so far as closing a legal loophole that had allowed human smugglers to tuck away small boats on the English channel.