Egypt Daily News – A statement issued by the Israeli Defense Minister’s office stated that Minister Yisrael Katz issued an order on Friday for Israeli forces to prepare to remain on Mount Hermon, a strategic location overlooking Damascus, during the winter.
The statement added, “Given what is happening in Syria, there is great security importance for us to remain on the top of Mount Hermon,” according to the Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israeli forces took control of a buffer zone in the Golan Heights, which was designated under a ceasefire agreement with Syria in 1974, and terminate the agreement.
After armed Syrian factions led last Sunday to overthrow the Bashar al-Assad regime, four army combat groups deployed in southern Syria, and the forces confiscated mines, explosives and missiles from a weapons depot found on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon. The Israeli army also launched several attacks on arms depots.
The Israeli army justified that the goal of these operations was to ensure the security of the civilian population in northern Israel.
