It’s just being reported by the New York Times that Israeli ground forces have entered Syria for the first time since the 1973 war in order to take control of area they see as vital for defending Israel.

Here’s the report:

Israeli ground forces advanced beyond the demilitarized zone on the Israel-Syria border over the weekend, marking their first overt entry into Syrian territory since the 1973 October War, according to two Israeli officials speaking anonymously to discuss sensitive developments.

The Israeli deployment came amid a successful push by rebel groups in Syria to drive President Bashar al-Assad out of power and out of the country, prompting neighboring states to brace for more regional instability created by his sudden fall and flight.
Israeli forces took control of the mountain summit of Mount Hermon on the Syrian side of the border, as well as several other locations deemed essential for stabilizing control of the area.

Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, the Israeli military chief of staff, appeared to confirm on Saturday night that Israeli forces had gone beyond a demilitarized buffer zone in the Golan Heights, saying Israel had “deployed troops into Syrian territory,” although he did not elaborate further.

 
Netanyahu suggests this move into Syria isn’t supposed to be permanent:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel announced on Sunday that he had ordered troops to “take over the buffer zone” between Israel and Syria and said Israeli forces had taken up military posts abandoned by Syrian troops, without specifying whether they had entered Syrian territory.

“We gave the Israeli army the order to take over these positions to ensure that no hostile force embeds itself right next to the border of Israel,” Mr. Netanyahu said. “This is a temporary defensive position until a suitable arrangement is found.”

Avichay Adraee, an Israeli military spokesman, on Sunday announced a curfew in five Syrian villages in the buffer zone, ordering residents to remain home “until further notice.”

The Israeli military said it was “not interfering with the internal events in Syria.” But it added that its forces would “continue to operate as long as necessary in order to preserve the buffer zone and defend Israel and its civilians.”

I don’t see how it wouldn’t be permanent at this point. With the fall of Assad, the Islamic rebels operating in Syria are going to be far more hostile to Israel and their ground forces will have to maintain this defensive posture indefinitely.

In related news, the Times points out that Israel has also been bombing chemical weapon and government targets in Syria to keep them from falling into the hands of these rebels:

The Israeli Air Force over the weekend was also striking targets in Syria to destroy government military assets that could fall into the hands of rebel forces and are considered strategic threats by Israel, the two officials said.

These Syrian military assets had posed a risk to Israel previously, one that could now be exacerbated by extremist elements among the rebels who could seize control and use them against Israel, the officials said.

The targets included small stockpiles of chemical weapons, primarily mustard gas and VX gas, which remained in Syrian possession despite prior agreements to disarm, according to the officials. The Israeli military also targeted radar-equipped batteries and vehicles of Russian-made air defense missiles, as well as stockpiles of Scud missiles, according to the two officials.