‘We will not move’: Israel warns Turkey and Syria from top of Golan Heights

Israel “acted against a Turkish attempt to establish itself in Syria, while putting Israel’s security interests at risk,” said Israel’s defense minister.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that the IDF will remain on Mount Hermon and in the security zone in Syria as long as jihadist threats persist, while also warning against Turkish actions that Israel considers a threat to its security.

“We will not move from Mount Hermon and the security zone as long as there are jihadist threats to the State of Israel,” Katz said during a visit to Mount Hermon.

Katz directed a message to the Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, saying the Israeli military’s presence overlooking Damascus demonstrated Israel’s determination to defend its border communities.

“The message to the president of Syria is clear — when you wake up in the morning in the palace in Damascus and look up at Mount Hermon and see the IDF, you know that we are here to defend our communities and our border,” he said.

Katz also addressed Israeli concerns about Turkey’s activities in Syria, referring to last week’s strike on a Syrian airbase.

Israel “acted against a Turkish attempt to establish itself in Syria, while putting Israel’s security interests at risk,” he said. “We made this clear and will stand by it in the future as well.”

During the visit, Katz received a briefing from IDF commanders and praised active-duty and reserve troops operating in the area.

Katz said Israeli forces positioned on Mount Hermon could observe Damascus, 35 kilometers away, as well as Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley and Hezbollah’s stronghold, while protecting communities in the Golan Heights and Galilee.

“The IDF, which is here and will remain here and will not move from here, ensures that these things will never happen again. That is the central lesson of October 7,” Katz said.

Syria’s Foreign Affairs Ministry condemned Katz’s visit Tuesday as “illegal,” accusing Israel of violating international law.

“The Foreign Affairs Ministry stresses that these hostile practices constitute a blatant provocation and a clear violation of international law and the United Nations Charter, as well as a breach of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, which requires respect for the ceasefire lines and not crossing them,” the ministry said.