Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the nation from Mount Hermon’s summit, pledging Israel’s continued presence in this strategically vital area.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Netanyahu declared that Israeli forces will maintain their position in a newly secured Syrian buffer zone until a security agreement is reached with Damascus.
Netanyahu, accompanied by Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, and other senior military officials, inspected the strategic mountaintop in Syria, located just north of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Following the Syrian government’s recent collapse, Israel deployed troops to secure this region.
“I’m on Mount Hermon with senior commanders assessing the situation and determining how best to secure our interests,” Netanyahu stated in a multilingual video message shared across his social media platforms.
Speaking from the region’s highest peak, the Prime Minister recalled, “I was here 53 years ago as a soldier. The location remains unchanged, yet its importance to our security has dramatically increased.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held an assessment today, on the summit of Mt. Hermon, together with Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, Head of Northern Command Ori Gordin and ISA Director Ronen Bar.
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— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM)
Katz highlighted Mount Hermon’s strategic importance, emphasizing its crucial role in monitoring Hezbollah activity in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley.
Israel seized the Golan Heights, formerly part of Syria’s Quneitra Province, during the 1967 Six-Day War and unilaterally annexed them in 1981. Israel’s claim to the region lacks international recognition except for the United States, which acknowledged Israeli sovereignty in 2019 under President Trump.
The UN and several Arab nations have condemned Israel’s latest incursion into Syrian territory, with a UN spokesperson asserting that occupation remains occupation, regardless of its duration.
Russia also voiced concern, with Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov warning against West Jerusalem’s potential overreach amid the Syrian crisis. He deemed the Golan Heights annexation unacceptable and urged Israel to fully comply with the 1974 disengagement agreement.
The Syrian government’s fall has created a power vacuum, with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) gaining influence. HTS leaders have criticized Israel’s increased military presence but haven’t sought confrontation.
Israel “isn’t intervening in Syria” and has “no intention of administering Syria,” IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi previously stated. However, he emphasized that following the Syrian Army’s collapse, Israel had to prevent “extreme terror elements” from establishing a presence near its border.
Beyond the Golan Heights advance, the IDF has targeted Syrian airfields, anti-aircraft batteries, and arms depots to prevent weapons from falling into the hands of HTS and other armed groups, some of which are supported by Türkiye.