Israel's government approved a plan on Sunday to expand Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights, saying it had acted "in light of the war and the new front facing Syria" and out of a desire to double the Israeli population on the Golan.
"Strengthening the Golan is strengthening the State of Israel, and it is especially important at this time. We will continue to hold onto it, cause it to blossom, and settle in it," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in the statement.