UNDOF Zone

Geography

The zone is about 80 km long, and between 0.2 and 10 km wide, forming an area of 235 km2 (91 square miles). The terrain is hilly on the highlands within the Anti-Lebanon mountain range system. The highest point in the zone is at Mount Hermon (2814 m) on the Lebanese border. The lowest point is at the Yarmuk River,

Populated places

There are several towns and villages within and bordering the zone, including the ruins of Quneitra.

Populated places include:

Civilian activities

Since 1967, brides have been allowed to cross the Golan border, but they do so in the knowledge that the journey is a one-way trip; the weddings are facilitated by the ICRC. Since 1988, Israel has allowed Druze pilgrims to cross the ceasefire line at the Quneitra Crossing to visit the shrine of Abel in Syria. In the Al Qunaytirah area, a company monitors the main roads leading into the AOS. Several times during the year Israel and Syria permit crossings of Arab citizens under the supervision of the ICRC at an unofficial gate in the area. These people are pilgrims and students of the University of Damascus living in the Golan Heights or Israel.

The defunct Trans-Arabian oil Pipeline (Tapline) crosses through the southern half of the zone. Israel had permitted the pipeline's operation through the Golan Heights to continue after the territory came under Israeli occupation as a result of the Six-Day War in 1967, with repairs being facilitated by UNTSO observers. However, the section of the line beyond Jordan had ceased operation in 1976 due to transit fees disputes between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon and Syria, the emergence of oil supertankers, and pipeline breakdowns.

Land mines continue to pose a significant danger to UNDOF and the civilian population. The fact that the explosives have begun to deteriorate worsens the threat. Mine clearance has been conducted by the Austrian and Polish battalions, directed from the UNDOF headquarters.

Parts of the zone, including the summit of Mount Hermon, were occupied by Israeli Defense Forces after the collapse of the Syrian Ba'athist regime in December 2024.

References

References

1. "UNDOF deployment map as at January 2021". United Nations.
2. Lidman, Melanie. (2024-12-10). "As Israel advances on a Syrian buffer zone, it sees peril and opportunity". [[Associated Press]].
3. (2019). "The Yarmouk Tributary to the Jordan River I: Agreements Impeding Equitable Transboundary Water Arrangements". Water Alternatives.
4. Stupka, Andreas. "Austrian Armed Forces in UNDOF". Austrian Armed Forces.
5. Gold, Shabtai. (13 March 2007). "Druse bride gives up Golan for love". Jerusalem Post.
6. (15 February 2011). "Occupied Golan: nurturing ties with the rest of Syria". International Committee of the Red Cross.
7. Nahmias, Roee. (9 June 2007). "Druze MK ignores ban, travels to Syria". ynetnews.com.
8. Winer, Stuart. (3 March 2013). "Israel to renew apple exports to Syria". Times of Israel.
9. Kaufman, Asher. (2014). "Between permeable and sealed borders: The Trans-Arabian pipeline and the Arab-Israeli conflict". International Journal of Middle East Studies.
10. "UNDOF Background". United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations.
11. Lidman, Melanie. (2024-12-10). "As Israel advances on a Syrian buffer zone, it sees peril and opportunity". [[Associated Press]].