Israel approves plan to expand settlements in occupied Golan

JERUSALEM -- The Israeli government approved a plan on Sunday to expand settlements in the Golan Heights, a Syrian territory currently occupied by Israel, according to a statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.

The 10.81-million-US dollar plan, unanimously approved by the cabinet, is being advanced "in light of the war and the new front with Syria," the statement said.

According to the statement, the plan aims to double the Israeli population in the Golan Heights. It includes establishing a student village, a development program to integrate new residents, and initiatives to strengthen the education system and renewable energy infrastructure.

"Strengthening the Golan is strengthening the State of Israel, and it is especially important at this time," Netanyahu said at the start of the cabinet meeting on the plan. "We will continue to hold on to it (Golan Heights), make it flourish, and settle in it."

Israel captured part of the Golan Heights during the 1967 war and annexed it, despite international condemnation. Following the downfall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government on Dec. 8, Israel seized the UN-monitored buffer zone, a demilitarized area established in 1974 under a ceasefire agreement between the two countries.

Israeli forces also took control of a Syrian army outpost and stationed troops on the summit of Mount Hermon on Golan. Meanwhile, Israel increasingly launched airstrikes on Syrian army assets across the country, claiming to prevent the weapons "from falling into the hands of terrorist elements."

Israel's military actions have sparked condemnation from regional countries and prompted calls from the international community for respect for Syria's sovereignty.