France "Israel withdraws from Syrian buffer zone"

France has urged Israel to withdraw its troops from the Syrian border buffer zone.

According to AFP, the French Foreign Ministry called for the withdrawal of Israeli troops in a statement on the 11th local time, saying, "The deployment of troops to the buffer zone violates the 1974 armistice agreement."

"Israel must respect Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the French Foreign Ministry said.

Israel captured the Golan Heights, which borders Syria, during the fourth Middle East war in 1973.

A demilitarized buffer zone was established between Israel's occupied Golan Heights and Syrian-controlled areas under the armistice agreement signed in May 1974.

The Golan Heights, which was originally Syrian land, was occupied by Israel during the third Middle East War in 1967, and six years later, as the fourth Middle East War broke out, Syria regained some areas and Israel, which fought back, re-occupied most of them.

There are now reports that Israeli forces have penetrated the Katana region, 20 kilometers south of Damascus, in addition to deploying troops in the buffer zone.

If Saudi Arabia, Iran, Russia and Turkiye, as well as France, criticize Israel's military activities in the buffer zone, the United Nations also pointed to Israel's military activities in Syria as a violation of the armistice agreement.