Israel denied on Tuesday it had advanced into Syria beyond a buffer zone with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights since the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by rebel forces.

Israeli forces have seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights established by a 1974 ceasefire agreement with Syria, whose rule by Syrian President Bashar Assad ended with takeover by rebels.

T HE ROW of square grey forts slung across the horizon is a reminder of the days when Israel prepared for an onslaught by Syrian armoured divisions from the Golan Heights. That la