Israel to remain in Syria, says Israeli defense minister

Earlier this month, IDF soldiers seized more than 300 weapons while detaining several individuals suspected of involvement in arms trading and smuggling.

By JNS

The Israel Defense Forces will remain in their positions inside Syrian territory to protect the Jewish state’s northern border communities, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz reiterated on Tuesday morning.

IDF troops will remain in their positions on Mount Hermon and in the security zone “to protect the communities of the Golan and the Galilee from threats emanating from the Syrian side, as the central lesson from the events of October 7,” Katz wrote in a Hebrew-language statement, referring to the Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

“We will also continue to protect the Druze in Syria,” he said.

Katz’s remarks came after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa claimed on Sunday that there had been some progress in the ongoing negotiations for renewed security understandings with Jerusalem based on the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement that ended the Yom Kippur War.

While the president told reporters that he does not view the current circumstances as favorable for concluding a comprehensive peace agreement, he said he would “not hesitate” to do so if he becomes convinced that this would benefit Syria and the broader region.

Following the December 2024 overthrow of the Assad regime by Sunni jihadists, the Israel Defense Forces took control of portions of the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, aiming to create a security buffer.

Syria last month claimed a willingness to reimplement the 1974 deal with Israel.

After a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said he intends “to cooperate with the United States to return to the 1974 disengagement agreement.”

During a visit to the Syrian side of Mount Hermon on Jan. 28, Katz said that the IDF would remain in the border region for as long as necessary.

“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 stated.

Earlier this month, IDF soldiers seized more than 300 weapons while detaining several individuals suspected of involvement in arms trading and smuggling during raids on outposts of the former Syrian regime.

The suspects apprehended and questioned were engaged in moving weapons from Syria to neighboring Lebanon, Israel’s military stated.

In addition to ground forces, the Israeli Air Force is active on the Syrian front. It recently carried out a strike targeting a vehicle carrying a heavy machine gun in southern Syria.

This strike followed the targeted killing in Lebanon of two senior terrorists linked to attacks originating in Syria.

The IAF has also struck targets of the new Syrian regime, including near its military headquarters in the Damascus area, following reports of state-sponsored atrocities committed against Druze local civilians.