Since Assad’s ouster in Syria, Israel has hit over 250 military sites of the former regime. These include Aqrba airport, Qamishli and Shinshar air bases, the Khalahla and Al-Maza military bases, and the Latakia army base. Additionally, Israel has destroyed an electronic warfare center, sites housing chemical weapons and long-range rockets, and many weapons caches. Meanwhile, the U.S. has also struck at least 75 Islamic State sites in Syria since the fall of Assad and is working on securing Syria’s remaining chemical weapons with the help of unnamed U.S. allies. Israel’s and the U.S.’s destruction of these military sites and materials protect Israel and U.S. interests in the region as they eliminate the chance of these assets from (again) falling into enemy hands. Israel has also taken control of Syria’s side of Mt. Hermon. The strategic value of Mt. Hermon to Israel cannot be overstated. While Israel controlled parts of the mountain since the Six-Day War in 1967, it now controls its peak as well. It is the highest mountain in the region and its “most important natural fortress.” With the capture of the peak, Israel can now see deep into Lebanon and Syria, and drones coming from Iran. Additionally, Israel has taken control of a buffer zone next to the Syrian side of the Golan Heights. Qatar, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia opposed Israel’s incursion, while the State Department supported it, at least on a temporary basis, to protect Israel’s population and to prevent a power vacuum. The United Nations has declared that Israel’s incursion into the buffer zone constitutes a violation of the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement between Israel and Syria. But ironically, Israeli forces first entered into the buffer zone to assist U.N. troops after Syrian terrorists in Hader fired upon them on Dec. 7. (RELATED: The UN’s Failure in Lebanon) Also ironically, days before this, the perennially morally bankrupt United Nations General Assembly had adopted a resolution calling for Israel to withdraw from the parts of the Golan Heights it had conquered against Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War. If Israel had abided by this resolution, there would have been no Israeli troops on hand to defend the U.N. post. Israel told the United Nations that its presence in the buffer zone amounts to “limited and temporary measures” and is meant to protect the residents of the Israeli side of the Golan Heights during the ongoing Syrian Civil War. Israel also stressed that it was not involving itself in the Syrian conflict and continues to seek to uphold the framework of the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement. It is imperative that the Biden administration, in its final weeks, allow Israel to protect itself against jihad in Syria. Self-defense is Israel’s pressing concern: Iran claims to be in contact with Syria’s new leaders, in a possible attempt to either maintain or strengthen its foothold in the country. One group in Syria has vowed to liberate Jerusalem, destroy Israel, and overthrow the Saud family in Saudi Arabia. And the Islamic State may try to consolidate its power in Syria, as Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned. (RELATED: Approach Syria With a Tragic Mind) Additionally, the incoming Trump administration should recognize Israel’s permanent presence on all of Mt. Hermon and in the buffer zone, given the immense strategic value of both, and the new political realities in Syria and in the region. READ MORE from Steve Postal: Trump Gets Mixed Press From Muslim World Despite $1.3 Billion in US Aid, Egypt Endorses Hamas The Palestinian Authority Is Jihadist Too The post Putting Jihadists on Notice, Israel Racks Up Critical Win in Syria appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.