Recent satellite images obtained by Al Jazeera’s Sanad verification unit reveal that Israel has been in the process of building up military bases inside the buffer zone that is meant to be demilitarized with Syria. The time frame of these images, from December 19, 2024, to February 1, 2025, shows that Israel has been engaging in military buildup with at least six sites being constructed by Israel in the buffer zone during this period. Another nearby site is under construction just outside the buffer zone, within Syrian territory.
The buffer zone was established by ceasefire agreements after the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and it has long remained a zone of military prohibition to ease tension between Israel and Syria. These recent developments indicate that Israel is further challenging the status quo in the area, raising fears about the potential for escalation.
The satellite images reveal that preparatory works have also included road construction to the sites, therefore attesting to the magnitude of military presence that Israel maintains in the region. The seven sites identified by Sanad are located in strategic areas: west of Hadar village, west of Jabata al-Khashab, north of al-Hamidyah, Quneitra village, and two sites south of Lake Aziz. One additional site is situated above Tal al-Ahmar, further deepening Israel’s military footprint in the area.
These events occurred at a crucial period in time. Satellite imagery captured the same area of Syria exactly eleven days after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made his escape to Moscow on December 8, 2024. The unpredictable situation in Syria developed into its current state due to the unclear reasons behind President Assad’s hasty departure from power.
The military activities conducted by Israel within the border control area threaten to destabilize the entire region. The establishment of military sites remains silent by Israeli officials but their presence in a neutral boundary zone tends to intensify tensions between Israel and Syria and with international world powers. Syria continues to see Israel as an enemy state so Israeli military operations inside Syrian borders—no matter where they occur—could be regarded as breaking international peace accords.
Near the volatile frontier between Syria and Israel lays the newly built bases that significantly increase the risk of military confrontations. The two nations have shown constant ceasefire maintenance during recent years although Israel consistently doubts about Iranian military personnel and Hezbollah agents operating in Syrian territory. According to perception these new security bases need to reduce threats while they make the already risky southeast Mediterranean area more unstable.
Following the construction, questions linger about Israel’s wider aims in the region. With the political situation in Syria so fluid and the world’s interest in the country so acute, Israel’s role in the demilitarized zone is sure to receive even more scrutiny. The international community and the United Nations, in particular, may have to consider the legality and consequences of Israel’s action given that the buffer zone was established in the first place to reduce the likelihood of military escalation between the two countries.
Currently, the Israeli government has not responded to the establishment of the new bases. This possibility is almost certainly going to remain a point of concern not just for Syria and Israel, but also for the world at large as they grapple for power in the Middle East.
