The UN force said that ‘serious violations’ of the ceasefire were seen in Israel’s work on the Syrian border, following the AP report

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — United Nations peacekeepers warned Tuesday that the Israeli military, which is continuing a major construction project along the so-called Alpha Line separating Israeli-occupied territory, is “seriously violating” a ceasefire agreement with Syria. Golan Heights from Syria.

The comments by the UN Ceasefire Observation Force, which has been patrolling the region since 1974, followed a report by The Associated Press on Monday, which published satellite images showing the extent of work along the border.

The work, which UNDOF said started in July, took place after the Israeli army completed the new highways and the completion of what appears to be a buffer zone along the Gaza Strip’s border with Israel. The Israeli army also began destroying villages in Lebanon, where other UN peacekeepers came under fire.

UNDOF warned that although no such violence occurred on the Alpha Line, the work risked further escalating tensions in the region.

“Such serious violations (of the demilitarized zone) have the potential to increase tensions in the region and are closely monitored by UNDOF,” the statement said.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Although UNDOF stated that Syria “strongly protested” the work, Syrian officials declined to comment on the construction.

High-resolution images taken by Planet Labs PBC for the AP on Nov. 5 span more than 7.5 kilometers (4.6 miles) along the Alpha Line, which begins about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) southeast of the Israeli-held Druze town of Majdal Shams. It shows the construction. This is the town where 12 children playing football died in a rocket attack in July.

The images show a ditch between the two embankments, parts of which appear to have been paved with fresh asphalt. It is also seen that the fences extend towards the Syrian side.

Construction follows a south-eastern route before heading south along the Alpha Line and then heading south-east again. The footage shows excavators and other earthmoving equipment actively digging along the route, and more asphalt is piled up there. The area is also believed to be littered with unexploded ordnance and mines from decades of conflict.

Peacekeepers said on Tuesday that Israel was protecting earthmoving equipment with armored vehicles and main battle tanks while carrying out construction work that UNDOF described as “extensive engineering foundation works” and “trenches”. Soldiers and earthmoving equipment crossed the Alpha Line and entered the demilitarized zone in Syria, known by UNDOF as the “separation zone”.

“Violations of the 1974 Withdrawal Agreement occurred where engineering works encroached on the AoS,” the peacekeepers said in a statement, using the acronym for the region. “Due to these activities, there have been various violations by Israel in the form of presence in the AoS.”

UNDOF repeatedly protested the work throughout the months of construction, describing it as a violation of the ceasefire agreement.

“Based on the agreement, (Israel) stated that the current excavation works are being carried out for (a) defensive purpose to prevent unauthorized passage and violations of civilians,” the peacekeepers added.

Israel sent a 71-page letter to the UN in June, outlining what it described as “Syria’s violation of the Alpha Line and the daily occurrence of the armed presence in the separation zone.” The letter mentioned numerous violations allegedly committed by Israel against Syrian civilians crossing the border.

Syria has constantly accused Israel of launching attacks against it from occupied territory in the Golan Heights. Israel has frequently struck Syria over the years, especially after the Middle East wars began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.

Israel took control of the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war. The UN Secretary Council voted to establish UNDOF to patrol the nearly 400 square kilometers (155 square miles) demilitarized zone and keep the peace there after the 1973 Middle East war. The second border, known as the Bravo Line, marks the border where the Syrian army can operate. The lines are bordered by barrels.

UNDOF has approximately 1,100 soldiers patrolling the region, mostly from Fiji, India, Kazakhstan, Nepal and Uruguay.

Israel annexed the Golan Heights in 1981; this was a move criticized by a UN resolution declaring Israel’s action “null and void and without international legal effect”. Measuring approximately 1,200 square kilometers (460 square miles), the area is a strategic high ground overlooking both Israel and Syria.

About 50,000 Jewish settlers and mostly Arabs from the Druze sect of Shiite Islam live here.

In 2019, President Donald Trump unilaterally announced that the United States would “fully recognize” Israel’s control in the region, and this decision was not changed by the Biden administration. But this is the only other country to do so, as the rest of the world sees it as occupied Syrian territory.