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.

After his flight on Sunday ended 54 years of Assad family rule, Israeli troops moved into a demilitarised zone inside Syria set up after the 1973 Middle East war. Israel calls the incursion a temporary measure to ensure border security.

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