IDF cementing control in southern Lebanon, Syria – report

IDF fortifying its positions in southern Lebanon and southern Syria, signaling plans for long-term control over buffer zones.  

By World Israel News Staff

Israel is building and fortifying military positions in southern Lebanon and southwestern Syria in a pattern that points to preparations for a long-term deployment beyond its borders, according to satellite imagery analysis, regional military sources and public statements by Israeli officials.

The construction spans two fronts: five strategic positions in southern Lebanon that Israel retained after its 2024 war with Hezbollah, and a widening network of bases and observation posts in Syria after the fall of Bashar Assad’s government.

The positions stretch from the Mediterranean coast in Lebanon through Mount Hermon and toward the Yarmouk Basin near the Syrian-Jordanian border.

Middle East Eye reported that satellite imagery shows Israel widening roads, building earth fortifications, erecting watchtowers and installing accommodation units at sites in both countries.

Lebanese and Syrian military sources told the outlet the scale of construction indicates that Israel does not intend to leave soon.

“If you are planning to withdraw, you do not carry out this much work,” a Lebanese military source told MEE.

Israel said it would not withdraw from Lebanon under a new US-backed ceasefire effort, while Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem rejected any agreement that did not include a full Israeli withdrawal.

A source close to Hezbollah told MEE that Israel is seeking to turn its positions into permanent military centers.

“According to current assessments, Israel is now trying to entrench itself in every position it has reached and turn those positions into fixed centers,” the source said.

MEE reported on a similar pattern in Syria, where Israel moved into the UN-monitored buffer zone and beyond after Assad’s fall in December 2024.

Israeli officials have indicated that the deployment could be open-ended. During a January 2025 visit to the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, Katz said the IDF would remain there indefinitely.

“The IDF will remain at the summit of the Hermon and the security zone indefinitely to ensure the security of the communities of the Golan Heights and the north, and all the residents of Israel,” Katz said.

Katz added that Israel would “not allow hostile forces to establish themselves in the security zone in southern Syria” and would “not be dependent on others” for its security.

MEE reported that it identified at least 10 Israeli bases and observation posts inside the buffer zone, including positions in Quneitra and Daraa.

Other satellite imagery analysis by Al Jazeera suggested that Israel had built several sites inside the demilitarized buffer zone and another outside it in Syrian territory shortly after Assad’s fall.

Some of the Syrian sites were built on or near former Syrian army positions. Others are linked by new or improved roads, allowing Israeli forces to move between Mount Hermon, Quneitra and southern positions near the Yarmouk River.

Carmit Valensi, head of the Syria program at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, told MEE that Israel’s post-Oct. 7 security doctrine had shifted toward buffer zones in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.

“From that point on, Israel decided to adopt what we might call the buffer zone strategy, which obviously we can see clearly in Syria and Lebanon and Gaza,” she said.

Valensi said the character of the new bases suggests Israel is planning for a prolonged presence.

“In terms of the characteristics of these positions and bases, we can assume that there is a long-term intention,” she said.