Following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's government, Israeli troops moved into the demilitarised zone inside Syria created after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, including the Syrian side of the strategic Mount Hermon that overlooks Damascus, where it took over an abandoned Syrian military post.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he will double the Israeli population of the Golan Heights following the fall of Syria's Bashar Al-Assad. The Israeli government approved the plan Sunday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the regime change in Syria is fuelling the need to bolster the Israeli population in the region.

Israel denied on Tuesday it had advanced into Syria beyond a buffer zone with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights since the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by rebel forces.

T HE ROW of square grey forts slung across the horizon is a reminder of the days when Israel prepared for an onslaught by Syrian armoured divisions from the Golan Heights. That la

Israel expands its occupation of Syrian Golan Heights by capturing UN-supervised demilitarized buffer zone - Anadolu Ajansı

Israel has “seized” territory in Syrian-controlled areas of the Golan Heights, as its military warned Syrians living in five villages close to the Israeli-occupied portion of the strategic area to “stay home”.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said he had ordered troops to “take over” the zone between his country and Syria.

By Howard Goller JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel agreed on Sunday to double its population on the occupied Golan Heights while saying threats from Syria remained despite the moderate tone of rebel leaders who ousted President Bashar al-Assad a week ago.

The Israeli government on Sunday approved a plan to invest more than $10 million in the occupied Golan Heights. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan aims to double the population in the region, his office announced.