OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israel said Thursday it would “continue to act to defend itself” after France urged it to withdraw from the UN-patrolled buffer zone separating Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday he had ordered the army to “seize” the demilitarized zone in the Syrian-controlled part of the Golan Heights after rebels swept Syrian president Bashar al-Assad from power.

On Thursday, Israel said the seizure was aimed at defending the country.

It “was necessary for defensive reasons due to threats posed by jihadist groups operating near the border,” foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said on X.

“Israel will continue to act to defend itself and ensure the security of its citizens as needed.”

In a separate statement on Thursday, the prime minister’s office said that the collapse of Assad’s rule had created a “vacuum on Israel’s border and in the buffer zone”.

Israel says takeover of Syria buffer zone ‘limited, temporary step’

“That is why Israeli forces entered the buffer zone and took control of strategic sites near Israel’s border,” the statement said.

“This deployment is temporary until a force that is committed to the 1974 (armistice) agreement can be established and security on our border can be guaranteed.”

Israel’s latest statements came after France followed the United Nations and several countries in the region in demanding that Israel withdraw its forces from the buffer zone.

France’s foreign ministry called it “a violation” of the 1974 disengagement agreement that established the UN-patrolled buffer zone.

“France calls on Israel to withdraw from the zone and to respect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” a ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.

At the weekend, Netanyahu declared the agreement void and ordered troops to seize the buffer zone as well as strategic points beyond it.

Marmorstein said the move was needed to prevent an attack.

He added there had been breaches of the 1974 agreement before Israel moved in.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar “discussed the matter earlier this week” with his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot, Marmorstein said on X.

Last week, the Israeli military said it had assisted the UNDOF peacekeeping force in the buffer zone in repelling an attack. The UN confirmed that armed men had entered one of its bases.

Israel captured most of the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

It held onto the territory during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war and in 1981 annexed the area in a move since recognised only by the United States.