New Evidence Suggests Israel Is Helping Syrian Rebels in the Golan Heights
Israel continues to interact with Syrian rebels in the Golan Heights and allow them to cross the border, according to a new UN report corroborated by a VICE News team that visited the area in November, uncovering additional incidents beyond what has been described by the UN.
Israel has occupied the Golan Heights since the Six-Day War in 1967, when it captured it from Syria. In 1974, a UN peacekeeping mission, known as UNDOF, was established to police a 50-mile-long disengagement zone between the Israeli "Alpha" and Syrian "Bravo" lines. At the disengagement zone's narrowest southern points, the distance between the two lines can be less than a kilometer.
A report by Secretary General Ban Ki Moon that was delivered to the Security Council earlier this week describes several incidents that brought Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in contact with rebels. On October 27, UN peacekeepers observed IDF soldiers opening a gate and allowing two individuals to pass from the Syrian Bravo line into the Israeli Alpha side.
