Syria has slammed the entry of Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz into the country's south, where he met Israeli occupying troops, and vowed to keep forces there while "threats" persisted.
Syria "condemns the illegal entry today of Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz and his crossing of the international border in flagrant violation of the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity", a foreign ministry statement said on Tuesday, urging the international community to take "the necessary measures to force the occupying authorities to halt these repeated violations".
Meanwhile, Katz made provocative remarks as he entered the illegally occupied zone, according to a statement released by his office, saying Israel will not withdraw from Mount Hermon or a buffer zone inside Syrian territory as long as there are “threats” to Israel there.
“We will not leave Mount Hermon or the security zone as long as there are jihadist threats to the State of Israel,” Katz said.
Mount Hermon, a huge cluster of snow-capped mountain peaks towering above the Syria-Lebanon border, overlooks the Damascus countryside as well as the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights
Addressing Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa, Katz said, "The message to the president of Syria is clear: when you wake up in the morning in the palace in Damascus and look up at Mount Hermon and see the Israeli forces, you know that we are here to defend our communities and our border.”
Israel occupied the “buffer zone” late last year, a move Damascus and international bodies said was a violation of a 1974 Disengagement Agreement between the two countries.
Israel has occupied most of the Golan Heights since 1967.
After the fall of the Assad regime in late 2024, Israel declared the Disengagement Agreement null and void, seizing the buffer zone and other positions, including the Syrian side of Mount Hermon.
