DUBAI: Israel has begun a construction project along the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria, apparently laying asphalt for a road right along the frontier, satellite photos analysed by the AP show. Israeli troops have entered the demilitarised zone during the work, the United Nations confirmed to the AP, a violation of the ceasefire rules governing the area.
The work, which earlier satellite photos show began in earnest in late Sept, follows the completion by the Israeli military of new roadways and what appears to be a buffer zone along the Gaza Strip’s frontier with Israel.
The Israel military also has begun demolishing villages in Lebanon, where UN peacekeepers have come under fire. So far, there has been no major violence along the Alpha Line, which delineates the demilitarised zone between Syria and Israeli-occupied territory that UN peacekeepers have patrolled since 1974.
Syria, which has been at war with Israel since its founding in 1948 and relies on Iran for support, has remained silent regarding the construction.
But the Golan Heights remain a flashpoint for the two countries — making any changes along the border potentially that much more sensitive. The Israeli military did not respond to requests for comm ent and Syrian officials in Damascus declined to comment.
High-resolution images taken on Nov 5 by Planet Labs PBC for the AP show over 7.5km of construction along the Alpha Line, starting some 3km southeast of the Israeli-held Druze town of Majdal Shams, where a July rocket strike killed 12 children playing soccer. The images appear to show a trench between two embankments, parts of which appear to have been laid with fresh asphalt. There also appears to be fencing running along it as well toward the Syrian side.
The construction follows a southeast route before heading due south along the Alpha Line, and then again cutting southeast. The images show excavators and other earth-moving equipment actively digging along the route, with more asphalt piled there. The area is also believed to be littered with unexploded ordnance and mines from decades of conflict.
The UN maintains a peacekeeping force in the demilitarised zone called the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, or UNDOF.