Israel Removes Mines Near Syria Borders as Russia Withdraws from the Region

According to security sources and analysts, Israeli forces have begun clearing landmines and setting up new barriers along the border between the occupied Golan Heights and the demilitarized zone on the Syrian frontier. This action signals a potential expansion of Israel’s ground operations against Hezbollah while simultaneously fortifying its defenses.

This move suggests that Israel might be looking to strike Hezbollah from the east along the Lebanese border for the first time, while also establishing a secure zone that would allow it to monitor the armed group freely and prevent infiltration, according to sources.

While the demining activities have been reported, additional unpublished details from sources—including a Syrian soldier stationed in southern Syria, a Lebanese security official, and a UN peacekeeping officer—reveal that Israel is shifting the separation fence in the demilitarized zone toward the Syrian side and reinforcing the area with more fortifications.

Israel has been engaged in sporadic exchanges of fire with Hezbollah since the group started launching rockets across the Lebanese border in support of resistance movements in Gaza.

Now, in addition to the Israeli airstrikes that have inflicted significant damage on Hezbollah over the past month, the group faces Israeli ground assaults from the south and naval bombardments from the Mediterranean Sea to the west.

By broadening its front in the east, Israel may be tightening its grip on Hezbollah’s weapon supply routes, some of which pass through Syria, Lebanon’s eastern neighbor and Iran’s ally.

Nawar Shaban, a conflict analyst at the Harmoon Center in Istanbul, noted that the operations in the Golan Heights—a 1,200-square-kilometer plateau overlooking Lebanon and bordering Jordan—appear to be an effort to “lay the groundwork” for a wider offensive in Lebanon.

He added, “Everything happening in Syria is aimed at serving Israel’s strategy in Lebanon, which is to strike supply routes, warehouses, and individuals connected to Hezbollah’s supply lines.”

Fortifications and Ground Operations

A Syrian intelligence officer, a soldier stationed in southern Syria, and three senior Lebanese security sources confirmed that Israel’s demining and engineering efforts have accelerated in recent weeks.

According to the soldier and a regional intelligence source, Israeli tanks have occasionally crossed briefly into Syrian territory, east of the UN-monitored buffer zone, to provide security for bulldozers working on what appears to be a new security fence within the demilitarized zone.

The sources reported that demining operations intensified as Israel began its ground incursions on October 1st to combat Hezbollah along the mountainous area that separates northern occupied Palestine from southern Lebanon, about 20 kilometers to the west.

During this period, Israel also escalated its strikes on Syria, including in its capital and along the Lebanese border. Meanwhile, Russian military units—stationed in southern Syria to support the Syrian forces—have withdrawn from at least one observation post overlooking the demilitarized zone, according to Syrian and Lebanese sources.

A Syrian soldier stationed in the south said, “Israel is pushing the separation fence between the occupied Golan and the demilitarized zone further, setting up its own fortifications near Syria to prevent any infiltration in case this front heats up.”

The soldier added that Israel appears to be creating a “buffer zone” within the demilitarized area. A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Israeli forces dug a new trench near the demilitarized zone in October.

A high-ranking Lebanese security official stated that demining efforts could enable Israeli forces to “encircle” Hezbollah from the east.

For over five decades, the demilitarized zone has been home to the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), responsible for overseeing the disengagement between Israeli and Syrian forces following the 1973 war.

A UN peacekeeping official in New York mentioned that UNDOF had “recently observed some construction activities carried out by Israeli military forces in the vicinity of the separation area,” without providing further details.

Russia Leaves Observation Post

When questioned about the demining operations, the Israeli military stated that it “does not comment on operational plans” and that it is “currently fighting against the Hezbollah terrorist organization to allow the safe return of northern residents to their homes.”

The UN Disengagement Observer Force, as well as Russian and Syrian authorities, did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters.

Meanwhile, Russian troops vacated Tel al-Hara, the highest point in southern Syria’s Daraa province and a strategic observation post, according to Syrian and Lebanese sources.

A Syrian army officer said that the Russian withdrawal was due to understandings with the Israelis to avoid clashes.

The Syrian authorities, who are part of the Iranian-backed “axis of resistance,” have sought to remain distant from the conflict since regional tensions surged after Hamas’s October 7th attack last year.

In January, Reuters reported that President Bashar al-Assad refrained from taking any action to support Hamas after receiving threats from Israel. Hezbollah has also “kept its distance” from building any military presence in the Golan under Syrian control.

A Syrian military intelligence officer noted that the Syrian army has not deployed additional troops.

A Syrian army officer stated that on Tuesday morning, Syrian military commanders ordered pro-government militias to withdraw from the southern Quneitra region in the Golan within 24 hours.

Iran-backed Iraqi militias also instructed their fighters to withdraw from areas in the southern countryside of Quneitra after spotting Israeli tanks in the area, according to sources from the militias.

The sources indicated that the Iraqi fighters were ordered not to engage directly with Israeli forces.