The Israeli government decided on Sunday to double its population on the occupied Golan Heights while saying threats from Syria remained despite the moderate tone of rebel leaders who ousted President Bashar al-Assad.

People walk past a sign in the Druze village of Majdal Shams, located near the “Alpha Line” that separates the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights from Syria, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) People attend a rally celebrating the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government,

Israel announced plans to double its population in the occupied Golan Heights, earning international condemnation.

The Golan Heights, situated in the southwest corner of Syria and bordering Israel, Lebanon and Jordan, is a 1,000 square mile rocky plateau around 40 miles (60 kilometres) from Damascus, although it possesses a significance far beyond that and has been a political flashpoint for decades.

The Golan Heights is recognized by the international community — except the US and Israel — as Israeli-occupied territory captured from Syria during the 1967 war. The World’s Host Marco Werman speaks with Joshua Landis,

Israel's "demographic development" plan to increase settler numbers only applies to the area of the Golan Heights that Israel seized during the Six Day War in 1967 and later annexed in 1981 and not to territory taken since al-Assad's ouster.

The United Nations Security Council on Friday extended a long-running peacekeeping mission between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights for six months and expressed concern that military activities in the area could escalate tensions.

Israeli forces have seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights established by a 1974 ceasefire agreement with Syria, whose rule by Syrian President Bashar Assad ended with takeover by rebels.

T HE ROW of square grey forts slung across the horizon is a reminder of the days when Israel prepared for an onslaught by Syrian armoured divisions from the Golan Heights. That la

The Israeli government has approved a plan to expand illegal settlements in the occupied Golan Heights, which is internationally recognised as part of Syria.

Israel rejected Turkish accusations on Tuesday following Ankara’s condemnation of Israeli military actions in Syria, as Turkey escalates its own operations in the war-torn country. The rising tensions have deepened the rift between the two nations and sparked concerns over regional stability and the fate of U.