Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, announced on Tuesday that Israeli forces will remain indefinitely in positions they seized in Syria after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime last year. Speaking from the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, Katz emphasized that Israeli forces would stay on the summit of Mount Hermon and in the surrounding security zone to safeguard the Golan Heights, northern settlements, and all of Israel’s residents.
“We will not be dependent on others for our defence — here and anywhere else,” Katz stated. “We will not allow hostile forces to establish themselves in the security zone in southern Syria … and we will act against any threat.” This statement marks a shift from Israel’s initial stance, which framed its military incursion as a temporary measure to prevent militant groups from entering the region in the power vacuum left after Assad’s government collapsed in December.
Israel’s actions began last month when Israeli forces moved tanks and infantry from the occupied Golan Heights into a previously demilitarized buffer zone in Syria, established by a 1974 armistice between the two countries. As part of this operation, Israeli commandos seized the strategic Jabal al-Shaykh military position at the highest point on the Golan Heights. The Israeli military also conducted a series of airstrikes targeting Syrian military assets, including the air force, navy, and stockpiles of strategic weapons.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu justified the military move, stating that the 1974 armistice had effectively “collapsed” after Syrian forces vacated key positions in the wake of Assad’s regime’s downfall. Netanyahu claimed that Israel’s intervention was necessary to prevent militant groups from gaining a foothold near Israel’s border.
The move has drawn widespread condemnation across the Middle East. Turkey criticized Israel for what it described as an “occupier mentality,” while Egypt condemned the actions as an exploitation of the Syrian power vacuum, accusing Israel of violating international law by imposing new territorial facts on the ground. Meanwhile, the UN’s special envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, warned that Israel’s military actions risk undermining efforts to achieve a peaceful transition in Syria.
While Syria has yet to officially respond to Israel’s announcement, Syrian officials, including de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, have denounced Israel’s actions, labeling them as pretexts for land seizure. Despite these condemnations, Syria has consistently expressed its desire to avoid new conflicts, focusing instead on rebuilding the country after years of civil war.
The situation remains tense, with Israel continuing to control much of the Golan Heights, territory it captured from Syria during the Six-Day War in 1967 and later annexed in 1981. However, Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights is not internationally recognized, and the region remains a point of contention in the broader Israeli-Syrian conflict.
