Israeli Base in Syria Sparks Outrage

The clip was filmed in a devastated area on the disengagement line, where the Israeli army established a new military base as part of its ongoing incursion since the departure of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government last December. According to the video shared by Israeli journalists, in “Assad Square” or as it is known “The Flag Roundabout,” the scene carries meanings beyond the image itself. The same square witnessed the raising of the Syrian flag in 1974 by the late Syrian President Hafez al-Assad after the liberation of Quneitra. Syrians expressed their outrage on their personal accounts on the “X” platform, finding the scene provocative to Syrian sentiments and sacrifices over many years. They compared the raising of the Syrian flag in 1974 after the liberation of Quneitra from Israeli occupation to the raising of the Israeli flag today in the same square. Others pointed to the symbolism of the place and time, where “Assad Square” (The Flag Roundabout) has transformed from a memory of liberation to a “stigma of breach and insult to history and national dignity.” Earlier, several sites witnessed a clear increase in military movements by the new Syrian army, aiming to withdraw heavy weapons from those areas as part of undeclared understandings between the Damascus government and Israel. It was added: “Heavy weapons have been completely withdrawn from strategic sites that formed defensive strongholds in southern Syria, most notably Tell al-Sha’ar, Tell al-Mal, Brigade 175 in the city of Izraa, the leadership of the 90th Brigade, Tell al-Shahm, outskirts of the town of Sa’sa’, surroundings of the town of Kanaker where Brigade 121 is stationed, and Tell al-Mahss on the outskirts of the city of Jasim in the Daraa countryside.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin stated that “Israel wants to establish a demilitarized zone in southern Syria, including Sweida.”