Israel’s occupation of Gaza, Lebanon, Syria extends beyond what maps show

Since October 7, 2023, Israeli military control maps in its surrounding areas are no longer merely lines announced in official statements or drawn on military maps. After every ceasefire agreement, a map has emerged, and after every map, questions on the ground arise: Where do the forces actually stand? Do the field markers, demolition operations, and military positions match what is declared on paper? Recommended Stories list of 4 items end of list The Digital Investigations Team at Al Jazeera’s Open Source Unit tracked three areas where new borders for the Israeli military presence have taken shape: the Gaza Strip, southern Lebanon, and southern Syria. In Gaza, we looked at the “ Yellow Line “, which appeared on the ceasefire agreement maps as the limit of Israeli control within the Strip, designated by yellow concrete markers on the ground. In southern Lebanon, the investigation looked at the military zone declared by Israel following a subsequent ceasefire agreement with that country, before examining what satellite imagery shows as the actual situation in impacted villages and towns. As for southern Syria, where no similar official Israeli map exists, we looked at fixed military outposts beyond the “Alpha Line” that separates the occupied Golan Heights from the rest of Syria. …