Israeli army prepared to stay in Syria for an unlimited duration, Katz says from Mount Hermon

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that the Israeli military is prepared to remain in Syria indefinitely during a visit to Mount Hermon.

His remarks, made on the Syrian side of the mountain — occupied by Israel since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime last December — came days after he warned of military intervention in Syria if Damascus’ new forces “threatened the Druze.” He specifically referenced the community of Jaramana, near the capital, where armed Druze elements recently clashed with the government's new security forces.

“Every morning, when Jolani (Ahmad al-Sharaa) opens his eyes in the presidential palace in Damascus, he sees the Israeli army watching him from the top of Mount Hermon and remembers that we are here—as in the entire southern Syria security zone—to protect the residents of the Golan and Galilee from his threats and those of his jihadist friends,” Katz said at a military post less than 40 kilometers from the Syrian capital.

He added, “The Israeli military is prepared to stay in Syria for an unlimited duration. We will hold the security zone in Hermon and ensure that the entire southern Syria security zone is demilitarized and free of weapons and threats.”

Since Assad’s overthrow, the Israeli military has moved into the Syrian side of Mount Hermon and several other areas beyond the buffer zone that has separated the two countries since the 1970s on the occupied Golan Heights. Israeli forces have established nine military posts in Syrian territory, including two on the summit of Mount Hermon, and deployed three brigades in the region, according to Israeli media.

On Sunday, Katz announced that Israel would soon allow Syrian Druze to enter the occupied and annexed Golan Heights for work.

Druze communities in Syria, particularly in the southern province of Sweida, are caught between the new Syrian forces and Israeli occupation troops. The province has a history of opposition to Damascus and actively resisted Assad’s rule. Now, Druze communities are protesting against Israeli airstrikes and military operations in Syria.