The Israeli PM delivered a speech from the summit of Mount Hermon, promising to “keep on this vital place”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned Tuesday that Israeli forces will stay in a buffer zone inside the newly seized Syrian territory till an association with Damascus is established “that ensures Israel’s safety.”
Accompanied by Protection Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Employees Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, and different high navy officers, Netanyahu toured the strategic mountain peak in Syria, simply north of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Israel deployed troops to grab management of the world amid chaos following the collapse of Assad’s authorities earlier this month.
”I’m right here on the summit of Mount Hermon with senior commanders to evaluate the state of affairs and decide the very best association that ensures our safety,” Netanyahu said in a video tackle shared throughout all his social media accounts in a number of languages.
Standing on the highest peak within the space, the Israeli chief mirrored on his previous, saying, “I used to be right here 53 years in the past as a soldier. The place hasn’t modified, however its significance to our safety has grown considerably.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held an evaluation as we speak, on the summit of Mt. Hermon, along with Protection Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief-of-Employees Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, Head of Northern Command Ori Gordin and ISA Director Ronen Bar.Full remarks >>https://t.co/NRjHIULl6ypic.twitter.com/EU3ltNl4yK
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) December 17, 2024
Katz emphasised Mount Hermon’s strategic significance, noting it supplies essential surveillance capabilities for monitoring Hezbollah actions in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley.
The Golan Heights, beforehand a part of Syria’s Quneitra Province, have been seized by Israel throughout the 1967 Six-Day Battle and unilaterally annexed in 1981. West Jerusalem’s declare to the area is rejected by the worldwide group, aside from the US, which formally acknowledged Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights in 2019 below President Donald Trump.
The United Nations and several other Arab states have condemned Israel’s newest incursion deeper into Syrian territory, with a UN spokesman stating that occupation stays occupation, no matter its period.
Russia has additionally expressed concern over Israel’s actions. Deputy International Minister Sergey Ryabkov warned on Monday towards “hotheads” in West Jerusalem being “intoxicated by alternatives” introduced by the disaster in Syria. He confused that the annexation of the Golan Heights is “completely unacceptable” and referred to as on Israel to totally implement the 1974 disengagement settlement.
The autumn of Assad’s authorities has created an influence vacuum in Syria, with the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) gaining management. HTS leaders have criticized Israel’s expanded navy presence however said they aren’t in search of battle with West Jerusalem.
Israel “isn’t intervening in what is occurring in Syria” and has “no intention of administering Syria,” IDF Chief of Employees Herzi Halevi beforehand mentioned. Nevertheless, he insisted that after the Syrian Military collapsed, Israel had to make sure that “excessive terror components gained’t settle near our border.”
Along with advancing within the Golan Heights, the IDF has bombed airfields, anti-aircraft batteries, and arms depots throughout Syria to stop weapons from falling into the fingers of HTS and different armed teams, a few of that are backed by Türkiye.
