Israel has yet to react to the deal. The Jewish state has repeatedly warned of Iranian entrenchment on its northern border
The United States, Russia and Jordan reportedly reached an agreement on a ceasefire in southern Syria that would include the expulsion of Iran's militias from the Golan Heights on the border with Israel.
Under the terms of the deal, reportedly reached on Saturday, all non-Syrian fighters - including soldiers from Iran's proxy groups who have placed themselves in the service of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime - will be forced to leave. border areas and, in the future, Syria, Hebrew media reports echoed comments made by a US official.
According to similar reports carried by Channel XNUMX and Israel Radio, the official did not specify how far from Israel the militias should initially stand and when they should leave the border. In addition to Iranian-backed groups, movements affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, both of which have foreign militants in their ranks, are fighting in Syria near the border with Iran. Jewish state.
There was no immediate response from the Jewish state to the information provided regarding this agreement. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman have both said the country will not tolerate an Iranian presence along the Golan and will not allow Tehran to entrench itself militarily in Syria.
Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad Momani confirmed that non-Syrian soldiers would be allowed to enter the "de-escalation" zone. The agreement reached on Saturday was drawn up, he said, on the basis of that of a previous ceasefire obtained in July. He also said the convention was an "essential step" to end the fighting in Syria for good and he will help define a political solution to the Syrian civil war, according to the country's newspaper. al-Ghad.
Netanyahu had harshly criticized the previous summer ceasefire deal brokered by the US and Russia in southern Syria, saying it did not sufficiently take into consideration Tehran's military ambitions in the region.
And yet, in yesterday's convention — and while Tehran and Moscow are military backers of the Assad regime — Russia reportedly sought to assure Israel that Iran and Hezbollah could not threaten the Jewish state from then on. Syria.
Even though Israel has tried not to get involved in the Syrian civil war, dozens of airstrikes on weapons convoys bound for Hezbollah as well as Iran-linked fighters have been attributed to its air force .
In addition, over the weekend, Israeli forces shot down a Syrian drone in the Golan Heights, near the border with Syria.
Israeli security officials said the drone operators deliberately tried to get the craft across the Israeli border, but it was shot down before it was able to do so.
Early Saturday morning and following the incident, Liberman, the defense minister, said that Israel would respond with determination to any violation of its sovereignty.
"The Syrian regime is responsible for any attack and any violation of our sovereignty and we will not allow the Shia axis to establish itself in Syria as a base for action," Liberman said.
He also called on the Syrian regime to control all elements operating from its territory.
The Times of Israel staff contributed to this article.
