Egypt Daily News – Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz affirmed Israel’s continued control over the Mount Hermon area in Syria, stating that the Israeli army is prepared to remain in Syria for an indefinite period.
This came during a visit to the region, located 40 kilometers from the Syrian capital, Damascus, where he emphasized that Israel would continue to assert its control over the “buffer zone” in southern Syria.
Katz explained that the Israeli army would keep monitoring any movements in the area, adding: “When Al-Joulani (Al-Shara) opens his eyes every morning, he will see the Israeli army watching him from Mount Hermon, and he will remember that we are here.”
He also addressed recent military strikes targeting 40 military sites in southern Syria, stressing that these attacks are part of an Israeli policy aimed at thwarting any “potential threats” against Israel.
Katz had previously stated that Israel would defend the safety of the Druze community in the area, announcing an action plan set to begin on the 16th of this month to support the residents of the Golan.
In this context, Avichay Adraee, the official spokesperson for the Israeli army, posted on the “X” platform that Israeli aircraft launched intense airstrikes targeting weapons depots, tanks, and military equipment belonging to the Syrian army in the southern province of Daraa.
For his part, Al-Shara dismissed Katz’s threats as “empty words,” adding that Israel is in no position to make comments about Syria after the killing of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza and Lebanon over the past months, according to Reuters.
Since the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad in December, Israel has carried out numerous airstrikes and attacks in various parts of Syria, taking advantage of the country’s state of chaos to expand its presence in Mount Hermon and the buffer zone, disregarding the disengagement agreement signed with Syria in 1974.
