On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Israeli troops on top of Syria’s Mount Hermon, located on the Syria-Lebanon border, and said Israel would continue occupying Syrian territory it captured following the regime change in Damascus “until another arrangement can be found.”
Netanyahu said he hadn’t been to Mount Hermon since being involved in a military patrol in the area 53 years ago. “This place hasn’t changed, it’s the same place, but its importance to Israel’s security has only been reinforced in recent years, and especially in recent weeks with the dramatic events taking place below us here in Syria,” he said.
Netanyahu was joined by other Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Israel Katz, who said Israeli troops would occupy Mount Hermon for “as long as it is needed.”
“Our presence here at the peak of the Hermon strengthens security and adds a dimension of both observation and deterrence to Hezbollah’s strongholds in the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon and deterrence against the rebels in Damascus, who pretend to present a moderate image, but belong to the most extreme Islamic sects,” Katz said.
Netanyahu celebrated the ousting of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and took credit for starting the process that led to the regime change, but Israel is now using alleged threats from the al-Qaeda-linked HTS that took over Damascus to justify its invasion of southern Syria.
Israel started its land grab by seizing a buffer zone that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from the rest of Syria, but Israeli forces didn’t stop there and are reportedly continuing to capture villages in southern Syria.
Israel has also conducted a massive bombing campaign, destroying the former government’s military assets. For its part, HTS is saying it doesn’t seek conflict with Israel and won’t allow Syria to be used as a “launchpad” for attacks on Israel.
