Netanyahu’s comments Sunday at a military graduation led to new concerns over the Israeli presence, and sway, in a swath of southern Syria.
The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that Israel will prevent Syria’s new military and the rebel group responsible for removing former President Bashar Assad from “entering the area south of Damascus.” The Israeli government confirmed that Israeli forces would remain in parts of southern Syria indefinitely.
Netanyahu’s remarks, made during a military graduation ceremony on Sunday, raised concerns about Israel’s continued presence and influence in southern Syria while the new leadership in Damascus works to establish control following years of civil war.
Netanyahu specifically mentioned that “We will not allow HTS forces or the new Syrian army to enter the area south of Damascus,” referring to the new Syrian authorities and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the prominent former rebel group.
“We demand the complete demilitarization of southern Syria in the provinces of Quneitra, Daraa and Suwayda from the forces of the new regime. Likewise, we will not tolerate any threat to the Druze community in southern Syria.”
There was no immediate response from Syrian authorities.
Defense Minister Israel Katz added that Israeli forces will remain on the peak of Mt. Hermon in southern Syria and in a buffer zone “for an indefinite period of time to protect our communities and thwart any threat.”
He said Israeli forces have built two posts on the mountain and another seven in the buffer zone “to ensure defense and offense against any challenge.”
After the fall of Assad in December, Israel seized the U.N.-patrolled buffer zone on Syrian territory. The zone was set up under a 1974 ceasefire agreement. Syria’s new authorities and U.N. officials have called for Israel to withdraw.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s government has been under pressure to protect Israelis living near border areas in the north.
Katz said Israel will “strengthen ties with friendly populations in the region,” notably the Druze, a religious minority who live in both southern Syria and in Israel’s Golan Heights, where Druze navigate their historically Syrian identity while living under Israeli rule.
“We will not tolerate any threat to the Druze community in southern Syria,” Netanyahu said.
More broadly, Israeli forces “will not allow hostile forces to establish themselves and be present in the security zone in southern Syria from here to Damascus. And we will act against any threat,” Katz said.
