Israel’s military incursion into Syria has been condemned by neighbors Egypt, Jordan and Qatar, who have accused the Jewish state of exploiting the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to seize land, in violation of international law.

Israel moved troops into a demilitarized buffer zone in the occupied Golan Heights on Sunday, after opposition forces seized Damascus and Assad fled to Russia. In a video statement from the region, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel’s 1974 agreement with Syria to establish the demilitarized strip had effectively “collapsed” once Syrian troops “abandoned their positions.”

Israeli troops and tanks moved beyond the buffer zone on Monday, entering Syria proper in an operation that Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said is intended to create a new “security area” that would be clear of “heavy strategic weapons and terrorist infrastructure.”

The move was criticized across the Arab world. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry called it “a dangerous development and a blatant attack on Syria’s sovereignty and unity, as well as a flagrant violation of international law.”

RT