The Golan Heights were part of Syria until , when Israel captured most of the area in the Six Day War, occupying it and annexing it in That unilateral annexation was not recognized internationally, and Syria demands the return of the territory.
Syria tried to regain the Heights in the Middle East war, but was thwarted. Israel and Syria signed an armistice in and the Golan had been relatively quiet since. In , Israel and Syria held their highest-level talks over a possible return of the Golan and a peace agreement. But the negotiations collapsed and subsequent talks also failed. Israel says that the civil war in Syria demonstrates the need to keep the plateau as a buffer zone between Israeli towns and the instability of its neighbor.
It was a dramatic flare-up in a long-running enmity — and it was no coincidence that it happened over one of the most contested areas in the Middle East. Although Israel controls only about two-thirds of what is known as the Golan Heights, it controls the most strategic points.
Israel captured the Golan Heights for several reasons, but two in particular stand out: to expand its borders, and to create a buffer zone against Syria. There is still much debate and controversy about who started the Six-Day War. While Israel struck first in a surprise attack, Israeli governments since have always argued that the war was not an act of aggression but a pre-emptive military campaign meant to secure Israel in its early years of statehood.
Ever since Israel took control of the Golan Heights in there have been sporadic border skirmishes and exchanges of fire. During this conflict, Israel was confronted by two Arab fronts: Egypt on the Sinai peninsula and Syria in the Golan Heights, armed with up-to-date weapons from the Soviet Union. The Golan is only 60 km 40 miles from Damascus and provides Israel with a strong defensive-offensive position and vantage point to observe military movements across the border.
On the other hand, Syrian control over the Golan would provide it with strategic heights overlooking Israel. The security dimension has been heightened by the civil war in Syria, which has seen Iran and its Lebanese Shiite ally Hezbollah entrench themselves on Israel's doorstep through their support of the Assad regime. Israel says Iran and Hezbollah pose a threat and the Golan provides a security barrier.
Another key issue is water resources in an arid region. There is more than a security and water-resource dimension to President Donald Trump's announcement that the US should recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan.
It would also set a precedent that territory can be captured in war in violation of international law. Russia, for example, will take note of the inconsistency after five years of Western condemnation following its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in UN Security Council Resolutions and , both supported by the United States, provide the legal basis stating that Israeli unilateral annexation of Syrian territory is in violation of international law.
Read more: 70 years old now — an Israeli story. Hezbollah, or Party of God, was conceived by Muslim clerics in the s in response to the Israeli invasion of South Lebanon in The Shiite group has a political and military wing.
Hezbollah emerged in the s as an amalgamation of Shiite militias and played a major role in the Lebanese civil war. It used guerrilla warfare to drive Israeli forces out of South Lebanon — Israel withdrew in Israel and Hezbollah fought another war in Its defense of Lebanon against Israel had won it cross-sectarian support and acceptance in Lebanese society. Since its creation, Hezbollah has received military, financial and political support from Iran and Syria.
Today, Hezbollah's military wing is more powerful than Lebanon's own army and has become a major regional paramilitary force. Hezbollah turned its focus to politics following the end of Lebanon's civil war. It represents a large section of the Lebanese Shiite population and is allied with other sectarian groups, including Christians.
Their political development has mostly come under Hassan Nasrallah pictured , who became the group's leader in Unlike other parties in Lebanon's multi-sided civil war, Hezbollah did not disband its armed wing.
Hezbollah argues its militant wing is necessary to defend against Israel and other external threats. A number of countries and bodies, including the United States, Israel, Canada and the Arab League, consider Hezbollah a terrorist organization. However, Australia and most of the European Union differentiate between its legitimate political activities and its militant wing. Hezbollah has been one of the main backers of Syrian President Bashar Assad in the country's civil war.
Its entrance into the war helped save Assad, one of its chief patrons; secured weapons supply routes from Syria and formed a buffer zone around Lebanon against Sunni militant groups it feared would take over Syria.
As a result it has won considerable support from Shiite communities in Lebanon. Lebanon has long been at the center of regional power struggles, particularly between Saudi Arabia and Iran. However, Hezbollah's military and political ascendancy, as well as its intervention in Syria, have also helped stoke Sunni-Shiite sectarian tensions in Lebanon and across the region.
Iran and Hezbollah have increased their political and military strength through the war in Syria. Israel has vowed to not let Iran and Hezbollah create a permanent presence in Syria. There is growing concern of another war between Hezbollah and Israel that could draw in Iran. The Syrian civil war has severely weakened the authority of the state, giving Israel an opportunity to exert its claims over the Golan.
It also comes as Israel's right-wing government has a friend in the Trump administration, which already recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital in and moved the US Embassy there.
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