UN Observer Force crying over Hezbullah deaths
The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force in the Golan Heights says that Israel carried out Sunday's strike with drones (not helicopters as previously reported) and says that the strike
violated the disengagement agreement.
The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force in the Golan Heights
released an official statement on Monday describing its troops' witness
accounts of the incident. According to the statement, the observers saw
two unmanned aircraft coming in from the Israeli side of the border and
crossing the demilitarized zone at UN position number 30 near the
village Masada in the northern Golan Heights.
The peacekeepers "observed two unmanned aerial
vehicles (UAVs) flying from the Alpha side and crossing the ceasefire
line," UNDOF said in its statement, referring to the Israeli side of the
border.
The UN observers lost sight of the aircraft as
their approached the UN position, the statement said, and an hour later
saw smoke arising from the general direction of the position. The origin
of the smoke could not be identified, the statement added.
Soon after the observers saw the UAVs flying in
from the area of Position 30 and over the Jabbata crossing of the
cease-fire line.
"This incident is a violation of the 1974 Agreement
on Disengagement between Israeli and Syrian forces," the UN said in its
statement.
Before the UN criticizes Israel, it needs to ask itself what Iranian and Hezbullah forces are doing in the Golan. The only Syrian forces in the area - the rebels - are apparently AOK with what happened.
Labels: drone, Golan Heights, Hezbullah, IAF, Iranian Revolutionary Guard, UNDOF
UN taking steps to preserve Assad regime
The United Nations has decided that one of the duties of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) on the Syrian-Israeli border is to
keep the Assad regime informed of Israeli humanitarian activities on the Golan Heights.
According to a report from December 3, 2013, a person wounded on
September 15 “was taken by armed members of the opposition across the
ceasefire line, where he was transferred to a civilian ambulance
escorted by an IDF vehicle." Moreover, from November 9 to 19 the “UNDOF
observed at least 10 wounded persons being transferred by armed members
of the opposition from the Bravo side across the ceasefire line to IDF."
Further reports indicated similar incidents. However, cooperation
between the IDF and Syrian rebels that was revealed in UN observer
reports does not just include transferring the wounded. Observers
remarked in the report distributed on June 10 that they identified IDF
soldiers on the Israeli side handing over two boxes to armed Syrian
opposition members on the Syrian side.
The last report distributed to Security Council members, on December 1,
described another meeting between IDF soldiers and Syrian opposition
members that two UN representatives witnessed on October 27 some three
kilometers east of Moshav Yonatan. The observers said they saw two IDF
soldiers on the eastern side of the border fence opening the gate and
letting two people enter Israel. The report, contrary to previous ones,
did not note that the two exiting Syria were injured or why they entered
Israel.
This specific event is of particular interest in light of what happened
on the Syrian side of the border in the exact same region. According to
the report, UN observers stated that tents were set up about 300 meters
from the Israeli position for some 70 families of Syrian deserters. The
Syrian army sent a letter of complaint to UNDOF in September, claiming
this tent camp was a base for “armed terrorists” crossing the border
into Israel. The Syrians also warned that if the UN would not evacuate
the tent camp, the Syrian army would view it as a legitimate target.
If Haaretz's Barak Ravid knows about these reports, so does Bashar al-Assad (and he probably has known for a long time). What could go wrong?
Labels: Golan Heights, humanitarian aid, IDF, real humanitarians, Syrian uprising, UNDOF, United Nations Security Council
IDF saved Irish UNDOF forces from abduction by Syrian Islamists
The Irish Independent reported on Sunday that
the IDF saved 130 Irish United Nations Disengagement Observer Force soldiers from abduction by Syrian rebel Islamists on August 30.
The
Sunday Independent has now established from senior sources that Irish
soldiers would have been killed or taken hostage by Islamist extremists
if it wasn't for the military intervention of the Israeli army during
last week's battle to save besieged UN soldiers.
...
Senior
sources said that there would "almost certainly" have been UN
casualties or deaths if it wasn't for the help given by the Israeli
military, which has posts on high ground overlooking the UN observer
bases in Quneitra. The Israeli assistance was described as "decisive" in
the success of the mission.
The Israelis were able to guide the
Irish-led rescue troops and help it avoid concentrations of the more
heavily armed al-Nusra force. There are also unconfirmed reports that
the Israelis directed fire at the Islamists to stop them from attacking
the Filipino and Irish soldiers.
And the entire UNDOF enterprise now appears to be in danger.
A replacement contingent for the 130 Irish troops in the Golan Heights is still preparing to travel before the end of the month.
However, that could change if the government of the Philippines carries out its threat to withdraw its 331 troops from early next month.
The
Filipino military is enraged at the UN, and has claimed that it ordered
the troops to surrender to the Islamists, endangering their lives.
The Philippines government and military allege that a detachment of 41 Fijian soldiers who did surrender to the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Brigade were only captured after they obeyed a UN order to surrender. Their whereabouts are unknown.
In a statement on Friday, al-Nusra, which has carried out atrocities in Syria, said it was going to try the Fijian soldiers before a Sharia court.
The
Filipinos refused to surrender and after a gun battle with the
Islamists, and supported by the Irish troops, they managed to break the
siege with no loss of life.
Hmmm.
Labels: Fiji, Golan Heights, IDF, Ireland, Nusra Front, Philippines, Syria, UNDOF
Al-Qaeda linked Syrian rebel group to try peacekeepers under 'divine law'
The al-Qaeda linked al-Nusra rebel group in Syria says that it's going to try 45 Fijian UNDOF soldiers it captured on the Golan Heights '
under divine law.'
Rami Abdul Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights, said that the commander of Al-Nusra Front has declared that the
45 peacekeepers will be tried under "divine law," according to Asharq Al-Aswat as cited by Yedioth Aharonoth.
It was revealed on Monday that the rebels issued three demands
for the release of the peacekeepers: to be taken off the UN terrorist
list, delivery of humanitarian aid to parts of the Syrian capital
Damascus, and compensation for three of its fighters it says were killed
in a shootout with UN officers.
In response, the 15 members of the UN Security Council on
Wednesday demanded the "immediate and unconditional release" of the
Fijians, denouncing their abduction "in the strongest terms."
The statement added that "there can never be any justification
for attacks on or the detention of UN peacekeepers." Fiji has issued a
similar statement calling for the release of its soldiers.
In addition to the 45 Fijian troops, 72 Filipino troops were surrounded by the rebel forces; however, the two units of soldiers from the Philippines managed to escaped over the weekend into Israel.
Very nice that the Security Council responded so 'forcefully,' but will their words be backed up with action? Don't hold your breath.
Labels: Fiji, Golan Heights, Nusra Front, Philippines, Syria, UNDOF, United Nations Security Council
Philippine UNDOF troops escape to Israeli side
A group of Philippine UNDOF (United Nations Disengagement Observer Force) peacekeepers that was captured by Syrian rebels has
escaped to Israel. (The picture is from over a year ago).
Thirty-two UN peacekeepers were rescued from Islamist militants who had fired on their post on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights on Saturday, the United Nations said.
Another group of UN soldiers - also from the Philippines - remained trapped by the Islamists who surrounded their positions on Thursday, and a gun battle was ongoing, the UN press office said.
...
A Reuters cameraman spotted 11 UN armored vehicles returning to their base in Israeli-controlled territory about 12 hours after the peacekeepers came under fire at around 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) on Saturday.
"All 32 Filipino personnel from this position have been extricated and are now safe," the United Nations press office said in a statement issued in New York.
The remaining troops, at a separate border post, were still under mortar and heavy machine gun fire, the statement said.
"The UN peacekeepers returned fire and prevented the attackers from entering the position," it said. Officials in the Philippines have said there were a total of 72 soldiers trapped in the area.
Another 44 UNDOF peacekeepers, from Fiji, were detained by militants 8 km (5 miles) away from the Philippine troops on Thursday and remain missing.
Arutz Sheva
adds:
According to reports in Syria, dozens of UN peacekeepers from the
Philippines who had been holed up in two military positions in the
Syrian Golan escaped io Israel Saturday. The border gates were opened up
to let them in.
They had been surrounded by Syrian rebels from the Nusra Front.
Filipino UN peacekeepers in the Golan Heights clashed with
Syrian rebels Saturday, Defense Minister Voltaire Gazmin said in Manila.
He said in an SMS statement to reporters that the Filipino troops had
been "extricated" from one of their two positions but added that
another group of Filipino soldiers "is now under attack".
He was referring to two positions on the Golan Heights where more
than 70 Filipino troops had previously been surrounded by Syrian rebels.
The peacekeepers were besieged by rebels on Thursday but defied
demands that they give up their weapons. On Friday Syrian fighters took
43 Fijian soldiers hostage on the Golan Heights.
Asked if there was a fresh firefight Saturday, Gazmin replied: "Yes".
He said the clash took place at "6am, Syria time," but added that "morale is high" among the troops.
Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala later told AFP that "there is still an ongoing standoff but there was a firefight earlier today".
"All our troops are safe," he said, adding that the defense minister
and head of the military were monitoring developments. He declined to
elaborate further on the incident.
The Fijians are the ones who are really in trouble. They gave up their weapons.
Labels: al-Qaeda, Fiji, Golan Heights, Nusra Front, Philippines, Syrian uprising, UNDOF, United Nations
High Noon on the Golan Heights: IDF troops 400 meters from Nusra Front terrorists on the Golan
Israeli troops are now
400 meters from ISIS terrorists in a showdown on the Golan Heights after 43 UN troops were kidnapped and 81 more have had their movements restricted.
UN officials shuttled along the rocky frontier between Syria and the Golan Heights on Friday, trying to establish the whereabouts of 43 United Nations peacekeepers seized by Al-Qaida-linked militants inside Syria.
Israeli forces took up positions at Quneitra, a fortified crossing between Syria and the Golan, barely 400 meters from Nusra Front militants, who attacked a UN base on the Syrian side of the border on Wednesday and seized the 43 Fijians.
About 80 UN soldiers from the Philippines, all of whom serve with UNDOF, a UN force that has monitored the disengagement zone between Israel and Syria since the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, remain locked down in two camps on the Syrian side of the frontier, military officers in the Philippines said.
Officials from UNDOF, which has about 1,200 peacekeepers from six countries operating in the zone, declined to comment as they left one of their compounds on Friday.
...
It is the third time in two years that UNDOF troops have been seized on the Syrian side of the demarcation zone, a measure of the instability since the uprising against Syrian President Bashar Assad began. Until then, UNDOF had been one of the quietest UN peacekeeping posts anywhere in the world.
In both previous cases those seized were released within days, UN officials said. But the situation appears to be more precarious this time. A militant close to the Nusra Front said the Fijians had been taken because they had been providing medical treatment to wounded soldiers from Assad's army.
Read the whole thing.
Labels: Golan Heights, IDF, Nusra Front, Syrian uprising, UNDOF
Islamist Nusra Front kidnaps UN peacekeepers on Golan Heights
Syrian rebels from the al-Nusra front in the Golan Heights have
kidnapped 40 Philippine peacekeepers from the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force between Israel and Syria.
The al-Arabiya network
reported that militants fighting with Jabhat al-Nusra, affiliated with
al-Qaeda, kidnapped soldiers of the UN Disengagement Observer Force
(UNDOF) in the Golan Heights. According to reports, those abducted
include 40 soldiers of Philippine origin.
Meanwhile, Irish forces in the same group are reported to be hunkered down, but safe.
And this is really likely to convince other countries to send their troops to this area as 'peacekeeping forces'....
Labels: al-Qaeda, Golan Heights, Ireland, Nusra Front, Philippines, Syrian uprising, UNDOF
25 Syrian shells hit Israeli side of Golan
25
Syrian shells hit the Israeli side of the Golan Heights on Tuesday during battles between forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad and Syrian rebels.
Some 25 mortar shells
landed inside Israeli territory since the early morning hours as a
result of battles between rebels and Syrian army forces in the Golan
Heights. No injuries or damage were reported.
The IDF has lodged a complaint with the UNDOF peacekeeping force.
A lot of good that will do.
Labels: Bashar al-Assad, Free Syrian Army, Golan Heights, Nusra Front, Syrian army, Syrian uprising, UNDOF
Fiji rescues UNDOF
Here's Soccer Dad's Middle East Media Sampler for Thursday, June 13.
1) Fiji rescues UNDOF
With the Syrian civil war moving closer to Israel, Austria has withdrawn its contingent of peacekeepers from the UNDOF.
Job Opportunity: Peacekeepers Wanted bit.ly/18ie3ra
— MediaBackspin (@MediaBackspin) June 9, 2013
Not to worry, Fiji is slated to pick up the slack.
the military from the island country of Fiji who will replace the
Austrian peacekeepers on the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF)
stationed on the Golan Heights.
The contingent will be made up of 300 soldiers representing one-twelfth of the Fijan armed forces.
Fiji has been involved in a peacekeeping role before. In 1996, Charles Krauthammer wrote about what Fiji's earlier involvement in peacekeeping meant:
The Fijians episode is only the most recent demonstration of the
uselessness of the U.N.'s acting on its own as peacemaker. The most
dramatic and tragic demonstration of this truth occurred not in Lebanon,
nor even Bosnia, but Rwanda, from which the U.N. withdrew last April
after ignominiously standing by while the worst mass murder since World
War II occurred right before its eyes.
These operations are a direct consequence of the grandiosity of a U.N.
apparatus that refuses to acknowledge its unsuitability to any kind of
active warfare, its dearth of military expertise, its abject lack of
independence, and its fractured command and troop structure. It is a
disgrace that these forces are deployed around the world in places where
they do more harm than good.
An expensive disgrace. It costs the U.N. about $ 130 million a year to
keep UNIFIL going. It has cost more than $ 2.5 billion since 1978. Why
not withdraw the troops and give the money directly to war victims on
both sides of the Israel-Lebanon frontier for reconstruction and
compensation? And let the good Fijians go home.
What's true for UNIFIL, where the UN's soldiers did nothing to protect
Israel is equally true for UNDOF. If the UNDOF troops served any purpose
they wouldn't be running at the first sign of trouble! In recent weeks
rebels have kidnapped UNDOF peacekeepers and they've been the target of occasional gunfire. And of course the peacekeepers are doing nothing even as Syrian rebels threaten to "liberate" the Golan.
They'd rather run than fight.
2) Egypt to Ethiopia: Don't Dam it
Tensions are mounting over the Nile.
The Washington Post reports Egypt frets, fumes over Ethiopia’s Nile plan:
But trace the Nile about 1,400 miles upstream and there’s a rising
colossus that threatens to upset a millennia-old balance. There, in the
Ethiopian highlands, one of the world’s largest dams is taking shape.
For Ethiopia, the dam promises abundant energy and an escape from a
seemingly permanent spot in the lowest rungs of the world’s human
development index. But for Egypt, the consequences could be dire: a
nationwide water shortage in as little as two years that causes crop
failures, power cuts and instability resonating far beyond even the
extraordinary tumult of the recent past. ...
To Egyptians accustomed to thinking of their country as a powerhouse of
the Arab world, the idea of bowing to a historically weaker African
rival has been a sobering reminder of their nation’s diminished clout.
It has also been an early test for the year-old government of President
Mohamed Morsi — one that critics say he has badly mishandled.
While Morsi has stated that "all options are open," Egypt's military has been more circumspect. A spokesman for the military said explicitly that the dam building is not a "military issue." Ethiopian insists that the dam will not harm Egypt as it isn't looking to divert its waters for irrigation but to harness them for power.
3) #BDSfail news
By now you've probably read that the traffic mapping app, Waze is being
sold to Google. But what's especially interesting is why the reported
deal with Facebook fell through:
What perhaps was different about Google's offer was a willingness to
allow Waze to return its own identity (as an R&D firm, regardless of
what the company's new owners do with the technology Waze is continuing
to develop).
As Waze CEO Noam Bardin put it in a blogpost announcing the sale (the
post was published at the same time Google VP Brian McClendon announced
the sale in his own blogpost): "Nothing practical will change here at
Waze. We will maintain our community, brand, service and organization –
the community hierarchy, responsibilities and processes will remain the
same. Our employees, managers, founders and I are all committed to our
vision for many years to come."
McClendon's post also explicitly noted: "The Waze product development team will remain in Israel."
Part of that vision is keeping Waze independent – and in Israel. Waze
executives, among them company President Uri Levine, have many times
stated that they planned to keep the company here, and saw no reason to
move elsewhere. According to a company source, Waze executives,
anticipating a buyout at some point, long ago decided that they wanted
to be sure employees were treated fairly if an acquisition took place.
(This writer says that keeping Waze in Israel was not a dealbreaker. However staying in Israel was important to Waze management.)
In another display of pride in Israel, Norm Geras interviewed architect Daniel Libeskind. (h/t Instapundit) Libeskind was asked about his relationship with Israel, where he once lived:
I always felt that I was fortunate enough to experience two paradises -
Israel and America! I have a very close relationship to Israel. It is
still a young country which has faced numerous difficulties in its short
existence. However, I am hopeful that this nascent nation, despite its
geographic location and problems both internally and externally, will
continue to grow and be a positive force for good and democracy in the
region.
If you're not looking for these sentiments, you won't find them. In much
of the MSM, Israel is an object of scorn and derision. Those who
condemn Israel, or are, at least, ashamed of it are considered the norm
and worthy of attention. It's nice to see that there is a perception of
Israel uncontaminated by such influences.
Labels: Bashar al-Assad, BDS, Egypt, Ethiopia, Facebook, Free Syrian Army, Golan Heights, Google, Israeli high tech, Middle East Media Sampler, Nusra Front, Soccer Dad, Syria, UNDOF
US issues travel warning for Golan Heights
The US State Department has issued a travel advisory for the Golan Heights.
The U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem advises U.S. citizens that due to fighting between Syrian opposition forces and the Syrian military in the central portion of the Disengagement Zone in the Golan Heights near the Syrian town of Qunaitra, travel on route 98 in the Golan Heights or any road or point east of route 98 is off limits for all U.S. Government personnel for the next 72 hours. U.S. Government personnel have also been instructed to maintain a heightened security awareness. http://www.oref.org.il/International/14-en/PAKAR.aspx.
U.S. citizens are advised to defer non-essentialtravel to and within the Golan Heights and to exercise an extra measure of caution.
Review your personal security plans; remain aware of your surroundings, including local events; and monitor local news stations for updates. Maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to enhance your personal security and follow instructions of local authorities. The attached Israeli Home Front Command website provides helpful guidance for an assortment of emergency situations,
What could go wrong?
Labels: Bashar al-Assad, Free Syrian Army, Golan Heights, Hezbullah, Nusra Front, Syria, Syrian uprising, UNDOF
UN says nyet to the Russians
The United Nations has turned down an
offer from Russia to provide replacement troops for the Austrians being withdrawn from the United Nations Disengagement Observation Force (UNDOF) on the Golan Heights. The disengagement agreement between Israel and Syria
precludes the use of troops from countries that have a Security Council veto.
Putin offered troops after Austria decided to
withdraw its 377 soldiers from the UN Disengagement Observer Force
(UNDOF) between Syria and Israel because of growing spillover from the
Syria conflict.
However, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said later on
Friday that Russia was banned from taking part in the force because it
is one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
"We appreciate the consideration that Russia has
given to provide troops on the Golan. However, the disengagement
agreement and its protocol between Syria and Israel does not allow for
the participation of permanent members of the security council in
UNDOF," Nesirky told reporters, according to AFP.
DEBKA speculates that
Russian troops will show up in Syria eventually.
The Russian president knew perfectly well that Israel and most likely
the UN would bar his offer of Russian troops for the Golan force on
legal grounds: The 1974 ceasefire accord precludes the five,
veto-wielding UN Secretary Council permanent members from serving with
the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF). He put the offer forward
nonetheless for two reasons:
1. As a reminder to the US and Chinese Presidents Obama and Xi
Jinping, holding their first face to face in California, that neither of
them controlled the state of play over embattled Syria and that Russia
held the whip hand by virtue of its leadership of the
Iranian-Syrian-Iraqi-Hizballah alliance.
2. As the groundwork for his next moves for deploying Russian troops on
the Syrian Golan. Next time, he won’t ask the US, the UN or Israel for
permission. He will go straight to his ally, Syrian President Bashar
Assad in Damascus, and advise him of the importance of deploying Russian
soldiers to the Golan – on the same footing as the US military
deployment in Jordan. Placing the unit just outside the Golan separation
zone would save Moscow having to turn to the UN or Israel first.
Hmmm.
Labels: Bashar al-Assad, Golan Heights, Russia, Syria, Syrian uprising, UNDOF
Fox volunteers to guard hen house
There's a volunteer to replace the Austrian contingent in the disengagement force on the Golan Heights. There's just one small problem:
It's the Russians.
President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia is ready to send peacekeepers to the Golan Heights
to replace Austrian forces after Vienna said it would recall its troops
from a UN monitoring force due to worsening fighting in Syria.
"We
could replace the leaving Austrian contingent in this region on the
border between Israeli troops and the Syrian army," Putin told the RIA
Novosti news agency.
Following
the battles at Quneitra in Syria early on Thursday morning, Austria
announced it was withdrawing its troops that serve in the UN
Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan.
On Thursday, Israel demanded that the United Nations replace the Austrian soldiers as soon as possible.
Sounds to me like the fox guarding the hen house. What could go wrong?
Labels: Austria, Golan Heights, Russia, UNDOF
Austria withdraws from Golan peacekeeping force
In case you were wondering why Israel doesn't place a lot of stock in international peacekeeping forces, consider this.
After the 1956 Sinai war, UN peacekeepers were installed to watch our border with Egypt. In May 1967, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser expelled them, and the Six Day War ensued.
After Israel 'unilaterally disengaged' from Gaza in 2005, European troops were installed to watch the critical Philadelphi corridor between Gaza and Egypt, which was being used for weapons smuggling. When Hamas took over Gaza in 2007, the Europeans fled.
After the 1974 disengagement of forces between Israel and Syria on the Golan Heights, a United Nations force was installed to watch the border between the two countries. Now, with Syria's civil war spilling into the Golan, Austria, which has the largest contingent in the force, is
withdrawing its troops. (And there are many other examples - UNIFIL in Lebanon and UNDOF in Sinai come immediately to mind - of ineffective peacekeeping forces).
The Austrian decision came after battles between Syrian troops and
rebels near the Quneitra crossing point. The 1,000 strong United
Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) has been monitoring the
border for the last 40 years.
Israel is keen on the force remaining on the border and trying to
preserve the quiet that has reigned there for some 40 years. The Foreign
Ministry issued a statement saying that it "regrets" the Austrian
decision and "hopes it will not lead to an additional escalation" in the
region.
The statement said that Israel expected the UN to uphold its commitment under Security Council Resolution 350 to maintain UNDOF.
One
diplomatic official said that Israel was watching the developments
closely and that its faith in the international peace keeping troops
hung in the balance. "If at a time when a few bullets are fired, these
forces run away form where they are needed to keep the peace, then what
is it worth," the official said.
Indeed.
Read the whole thing.
Assad's troops apparently took back the border crossing during the day on Thursday.
Labels: Austria, Ban Ki-Moon, Bashar al-Assad, EUBAM Rafah, Free Syrian Army, Golan Heights, Nusra Front, Syria, Syrian uprising, UNDOF, UNIFIL
Syrian rebels overrun Quneitra crossing point with Israel
The IDF has confirmed that
Syrian rebels now control the Syrian side of the Quneitra border crossing with Israel on the Golan Heights after defeating Bashar al-Assad's troops on Thursday morning.
Israeli military sources told Army
Radio in recent weeks that a takeover of the Quneitra crossing by rebels
would constitute a major turning point in Jerusalem’s attitude toward
the conflict ravaging its neighbor to the northeast.
Earlier on
Thursday, a mortar shell landed at a United Nations base in Quneitra,
just a few hundred meters from the border fence separating Israel and
Syria, according to media reports Thursday.
Israel Radio reported
that soldiers loyal to Assad were engaged in fierce gun battles with
rebels near the border fence. The Israeli military has instructed
agrarians on the Golan Heights to keep away from the border fence area
near Quneitra.
In addition, authorities have banned civilians
from entering Kibbutz Ein Zivan, a communal settlement that lies
hundreds of meters away from the border fence, according to Israel
Radio.
Alex Shalom, an Israeli farmer from the Golan Heights, said he saw
heavy smoke rising from the crossing and Israeli military ambulances
evacuating people from the site.
An Israeli military spokeswoman
said the area leading to Quneitra had been closed off, but gave no other
details on the fighting.
Officials from the United Nations
Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), which operates the base, could not
be reached for comment.
Despite the Israeli government's best efforts to keep out of this war, it's pretty likely that the IDF will react much more strongly to 'incidents' along the border with the rebels in control than it would have with Assad in control.
Labels: Bashar al-Assad, Free Syrian Army, Golan Heights, Nusra Front, Quneitra, Syria, Syrian uprising, UNDOF
Syrian rebels kidnap four peacekeepers
Syrian rebels have kidnapped four Philippine UNDOF peacekeepers on the Golan Heights. The rebels claim that they are holding the peacekeepers 'for their own safety.'
The Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade made the announcement in a statement on its
Facebook page, accompanied by a picture of four peacekeepers wearing
light-blue UN flak jackets marked "Philippines."
At the United Nations, a spokeswoman said four peacekeepers had been
detained as they patrolled close to an area where 21 Filipino observers
were detained for three days in March.
Spokeswoman
Josephine Guerrero said they were taken at Position 86, near the
southern end of the narrow "area of separation" between Syrian and
Israeli forces.
The Yarmouk Martyrs rebels said they "carried out
an operation to secure and protect elements of the United Nations
operating in the Yarmouk Valley ... during clashes and heavy shelling in
the region".
They said the heavy presence of Assad's forces posed a danger to the peacekeepers, as well as "criminal elements" in the area.
Soon there will be no peacekeepers and then there will be no peace. What could go wrong?
Labels: Golan Heights, kidnapping, Syria, Syrian uprising, UNDOF
IDF troops operating inside Syrian side of the Golan
If you're an Israeli, you probably suspected this or even heard rumors about it for some time now, but as the person who sent this to me noted, 'how did this get past the censor'? Two reports -
here and
here - indicate that IDF troops are operating on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights. And no, we're not talking about the field hospital that the IDF set up on the border for wounded Syrians last week. This is from the second link, which discusses an operation back in March.
On March 8, while 21 UN observers were being held captive by Syrian
rebels, another group of observers was running for their lives. Caught
up in fighting between the Syrian army and rebels, they fled down a
steep mountain. There, they were helped by Israeli Defense Forces
soldiers who entered the Syrian Golan Heights to rescue them. The
incident marked the most significant instance of Israeli soldiers
crossing into the Syrian Golan Heights since 1974.
...
Syrian rebels had captured the Syrian army’s military post located on
top of a mountain “for a few hours” before the Syrian army went to
reclaim it. A bloody battle followed.
“There were UN troops very close to this battle who had to leave their
posts," [IDF Brig. Gen. Gal] Hirsch said. They escaped by “going down the cliff and climbing
by foot to the Israeli border.”
He said, “They were in a very bad situation,” and that IDF soldiers had
to cross into the buffer zone to rescue the UN soldiers in the Syrian
Golan Heights.
...
“Today, half of the Syrian Golan Heights is captured by the rebels, and
not held by the Syrian army anymore,” said Hirsch, emphasizing Israel’s
extreme concern about the situation on its northern border. Calling the
area “ungoverned,” he described it as controlled “by many
fundamentalists who are just running to this area in order to capture
bases and build their infrastructure to use it later against Israel.”
Israel is now building a high-tech fence system on its border with Syria
to stop infiltrators. Yet everyone agrees that this is not the answer
to all of the potential dangers.
“The main problem in Syria,” Hirsch said, “is its huge, huge store of
weapons.” Syria has become “one of the biggest warehouses for weapons in
the world, including weapons of mass destruction.”
He added, “That’s a huge threat for us because we don’t know who will
capture the WMDs and the advanced weapons that Russia supplied over the
years to Syria, and who will be able to use them against Israel or, via
the terror organizations already here, on the rest of the world in
terror activities.”
Israel and other countries are concerned about the intentions of the
Syrian rebels, some of who are affiliated with al-Qaeda. One group in
particular, Jabat Al Nusra — a Syrian jihadist group following hardline
Salafist ideology working throughout Syria — is operating increasingly
closer to the Israeli border. Their attack in late January 2013 on a
Syrian military intelligence unit was just 15 kilometers (nine miles)
from the Israeli-Syrian border.
From the Israeli-Syrian border looking down into the valley in Syria,
one can see Jabat al-Nusra-occupied villages in the distance. Powerful
binoculars show deserted streets and half-built or dilapidated houses,
vacant for years, which now serve as seats of operations for the Syrian
rebels. Jabat al-Nusra is said to number between 5,000 and 8,000, and
include many foreigners. Facebook and YouTube pages that document the
names and origins of dead Jabat al-Nusra fighters show that the top
three countries being recruited from are Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and
Libya, particularly from the Benghazi area.
Israeli government sources said that despite al-Nusra having set up
just 14 months ago, it has carried out more attacks and inflicted more
damage on the Syrian regime than any other opposition organization.
The article goes on to note that Hezbullah may also want to use the Golan as a base of operations, since Lebanon has had it with the consequences of Hezbullah operating against Israel from its territory.
This is from the
first article, which is from this week.
Reports that Israelis may be operating, even in non-combat
capacities, in an enemy state can be compared to information indicating
that American military personnel are operating in North Korea — if North
Korea lay on the American border, and if it was consumed by a civil war
in which extremist elements were involved.
Yet it appears that
Israeli security forces have entered Syrian territory to identify
wounded Syrians and administer basic medical care across the border.
A senior Israeli source told GlobalPost that wounded Syrian rebels who
have received medical care in Israel “are transported across the border
only once they are positively identified and receive initial emergency
medical treatment while still on the other side,” meaning on Syrian
soil.
This indicates a much higher level of activity by Israel in
rebel-held lands than has previously been acknowledged. It also is a
sign that Israel is willing to put some of its own personnel in
significant peril in order to retain some semblance of order at the
national boundary line.
Late
last month, after 11 Syrian citizens were treated in Israeli hospitals,
AFP reported that the Israeli army set up a field hospital on the
Israeli-Syrian border to provide emergency care on-site. The army
spokesman has refused to comment on the report.
Standing
on the northern Golan Heights, a white tent-like structure is visible
within Israeli lines, on the grounds of military base 105.
“I
think behind the scenes there are steps being taken to prepare. We
haven’t set up a field hospital for thousands. But there is some
preparation, more ambulances, more doctors, more medical equipment.
We’re ready. It’s only logical,” Ret. Col. Eshkol Shokron, who commanded
the Golan Division until his retirement last August, told GlobalPost.
...
Whether there is an established base of medical operations on the
border itself, or whether Israelis are operating just across the
frontier, “the State of Israel doesn’t need to take sides in the war,”
Shokron said.
He added that there is reluctance in Israel to
address the matter head on because of concerns that wounded Syrians,
both civilians and combatants, could flood the Israeli border.
“If
we advertise that there’s a hospital here, the whole world will come.
If they understand there’s an option here, and no one will shoot at
them, that the army is moral and will take care of them, of course it is
their best option.”
Ret. Brig. Gen. Shlomo Brom, an expert on Israeli military strategy,
says the significance of any Israeli presence across the Syrian lines
would be tactical, not strategic, and that he doubts there exists a
“permanent Israeli presence” across the border.
“It may mean there
are ties or communication developing with some of the saner, more
secular rebel groups,” he said. “Dialogue like this is essential to cope
with new security demands. Israelis may go in and out as the situation
demands. But I’d say its farfetched to believe that any Israelis are
sitting there in a permanent capacity.”
I don't believe that Israelis are sitting there in a permanent capacity. But I believe that there is likely an attempt to hook up with elements among the rebels who are non-Islamist and anti-Assad, and that the IDF hopes those elements will provide intelligence information down the road.
Labels: Bashar al-Assad, Free Syrian Army, Golan Heights, humanitarian aid, IDF, intelligence, Syrian uprising, UNDOF
Austria to withdraw troops from UNDOF?
In the event that an arms embargo on Syria is lifted next month, as might happen, Austria is threatening to withdraw its troops from the UNDOF observer force that has helped to maintain peace on the Golan for the last 40 years. With three of the other five countries who contribute troops to UNDOF having withdrawn in the last few months, Austria's 377 troops are the largest contingent of the roughly 1,000 troops who remain in the neutral zone on the Heights. But according to the Austrians,
the mission is becoming impossible.
If the embargo is lifted at the end of next
month, “it would be difficult in that moment to maintain the security [of the
Austrian soldiers],” he said.
[Deputy Chancellor and Foreign Minister Michael] Spindelegger arrived in Israel earlier in
the day for a 24-hour visit during which he will travel to the Golan Heights,
examine the terrain and meet with Austrian soldiers and their commander, so he
can personally assess the situation.
He also wants to stress to Israeli
leaders the danger to Syria and the mission’s future, if the arms embargo is
lifted.
Austria is one of only three nations, along with India and the
Philippines, that remain in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force; it
recently lost three of its members – Croatia, Canada and Japan.
...
“The problem is that more and more it is not possible to
do this mission,” he said.
...
But if the embargo is
lifted and European countries export arms to the Syrian opposition, Austria will
no longer appear neutral to forces loyal to President Bashar Assad.
The
absence of such neutrality would increase the danger to the extent that it may
not be possible to remain, he said.
“If Syrian opposition could have more
weapons from the European side, than we are really on one side, and it would be
a hard job just to be present, and this would be the moment where we would think
to pull out,” Spindelegger said.
Neutrality is such a critical component,
he said, that Croatia pulled out, fearing for its troops’ safety, after a rumor
surfaced that Croatia had delivered weapons to opposition forces, Spindelegger
said.
He explained the situation to President Shimon Peres and to Prime
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in separate meetings on Thursday.
Israel
agreed with him that no more arms should flow to Syria.
What could go wrong?
Labels: Austria, European Union, Golan Heights, Syrian uprising, UNDOF
Syria abandoning the Golan to the jihadis?
For nearly 40 years, the most heavily armed border in the world - the border between Israel and Syria - has also been one of the quietest borders in the world, precisely because of the deterrent on the other side. Now, Syria has made the largest redeployment of its troops since the 1973 Yom Kippur war, deploying thousands of troops in and around Damascus and leaving the Golan to the rebel forces, many of whom are jihadis.
Israel is deeply concerned.
Western diplomats said the Syrian redeployments near the Golan
ceasefire line were the most significant in 40 years, with at least
several thousand soldiers thought to have been moved in recent weeks to
battle fronts closer to Damascus.
Rebel groups have moved into the
vacuum, and Israel fears that jihadists will use the area as a staging
ground for attacks on territory it controls.
Meanwhile, the United Nations
observer force on the Golan Heights, Undof, finds itself in an ever
more vulnerable position, with states whose peacekeepers comprise the
mission known to be reconsidering their commitment, including the
Austrians, who provide the largest individual contribution of troops.
...
"They [the Syrian government] have moved some of
their best battalions away from the Golan," said a western diplomatic
source of the Syrian changes. "They have replaced some of them with
poorer-quality battalions, which have involved reducing manpower. The
moves are very significant."
Separate media reports in Israel
suggest the Syrian redeployments could amount to as many as two
divisions – up to 20,000 soldiers.
"Undof is of the highest
importance, now more than ever," said one senior Israeli government
official. "We know some participant countries are having second thoughts
and we're concerned about that. We are talking to them to try to
understand what they plan on doing if the going gets rougher. We know
some are hesitating, and it's a problematic situation.
"We are
also talking to New York [the UN headquarters] about whether there could
be a replacement in case one contingent pulls out. We don't envision a
scenario in which Undof dissolves but we are very aware of the fragility
of the situation."
...The
former commander of the Israeli Defence Force liaison unit responsible
for relations with peacekeeping forces, Brigadier General Baruch
Speigel, said: "It's a very sensitive situation [with Undof]. It's
important to find a mechanism to allow them to stay, but I'm not sure if
it's possible because of the situation in Syria.
"If
the UN is unable to fulfil its mission, this is a big, big dilemma. No
one can tell you the bottom line. We have never faced this situation,
but we have to act very responsibly. But worst-case scenarios can bring
us worst-case answers."
'Peacekeepers' (UNDOF are actually officially known as 'observers') can be effective for some period of time, but without a real peace, they cannot be effective forever. There has never been real peace between Israel and Syria, and if the jihadis are the ones who eventually depose Assad, there will not be any real peace for the foreseeable future. Israel will have to stand and fight on its own.
Labels: Bashar al-Assad, Free Syrian Army, Golan Heights, Syria, Syrian uprising, UNDOF
UNDOF 'curtailing' night time patrols
One of the reasons that UNIFIL has been so totally ineffective in preventing Hezbullah from arming itself in southern Lebanon is the fact that they are
too scared to patrol at night.
After last week's
kidnapping on the Golan Heights UNDOF, which 'observes' the peace along our border with Syria, is apparently
heading in the same direction.
The United Nations observers stationed in the Golan Heights have
stopped their night patrols along the Syrian-Israeli cease-fire line.
A
U.N. spokesman said, Tuesday, that over the weekend, after 21
Philippine observers were freed by their Syrian rebel captors, fire was
directed at one of their positions. The spokesman called it a very
difficult place to work.
Once again, it is proven that the value of UN 'peacekeepers' is minimal in the face of Arab and Muslim terrorism. For those who believe that UN or other international 'peacekeepers' would
ensure peace on a border between Israel and a terrorist state of 'Palestine,' please explain why they would be any different than those on our borders with Syria and Lebanon, or for that matter from the peacekeepers who
fled our border with Gaza in 2007 and our
border with Egypt in 1967.
Labels: EUBAM Rafah, Golan Heights, Syria, UN peacekeeping forces, UNDOF, UNIFIL
Jordan not civilized enough for UN peacekeepers
You might recall that last week, 21 Filipino troops acting as UN observers were
kidnapped by Syrian rebels in the Golan Heights and held for a couple of days. On Saturday, they were released across the border into Jordan.
I'm sure that you'll all be shocked to hear that Jordan just wasn't civilized enough for them.
They're now in Israel.
UN peacekeepers held by rebels for three days in southern Syria and
freed at the weekend crossed into Israel from neighboring Jordan on
Monday, a military spokeswoman said.
The spokeswoman would not
comment, however, on a report by an Israeli newspaper that Israeli
troops had later escorted the 21 Filipino peacekeepers back to their
base along the Syrian frontier with the Golan Heights, which are
occupied by Israel.
...
"I can confirm that they came into Israel today, from Jordan," the Israeli spokeswoman said of the freed peacekeepers.
It
was not immediately clear why the peacekeepers would end up in Israel,
but, logistically, it would be safe for them to return to their main
command post via Israel.
The spokeswoman refused to comment on
the report on the Maariv newspaper's website that Israeli soldiers had
escorted the Filipinos by bus from the Jordan border region to their
base in the Golan.
The paper said that Israel, already worried
about Syria's two-year civil war spilling across its border, was also
concerned that the incident with the peacekeepers might lead member
countries to pull troops out of UNDOF.
Maybe they just wanted some R&R in a civilized country.
Labels: Free Syrian Army, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Syrian uprising, UNDOF
