Israel Syria Mount Hermon: Defense Minister Warns of Permanent Military Pre

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz conducted a high-profile visit Tuesday to Mount Hermon's peak inside Syrian territory, delivering a stark message to Syria's new government and regional powers: Israeli forces have established positions deep inside Syria and intend to stay. Speaking from a vantage point just 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the presidential palace in Damascus, Katz outlined Israel's hardened security posture in the north, shaped by lessons from the October 7 attacks.

The defense minister toured the strategic Hermon summit alongside senior military officials including Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai, Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo, the head of the IDF's Syria Administration Maj. Gen. Rassan Alian, Division 210 commander Col. Yair Peli, and the defense minister's military secretary Col. Hisham Ibrahim. During the visit, Katz received detailed briefings on operations in the sector and commended both regular and reserve forces deployed there.

"We are here and we're not moving from here," Katz declared during the tour. He emphasized that Israeli forces now control the former Syrian Hermon outpost and positions throughout the Hermon range, the Golan Heights, and the entire buffer zone. From these elevated positions, he noted, Israeli forces can observe Damascus from above, overlook Lebanon's Bekaa Valley (a Hezbollah stronghold) and protect communities in the Golan Heights and Galilee below.

Addressing threats from the Syrian side of the border, Katz pointed to jihadist forces operating both within Syria's new government structure and through various terrorist organizations whose primary objective is attacking Israel. "The IDF is here, will remain here, and will not move, this ensures these things won't happen again. That's the central lesson from October 7," he stated.

In a direct message to Syria's president, Katz said: "When you wake up in the morning in your palace in Damascus and look up at the Hermon and see the IDF -you know we're here to protect our communities and our border. As long as there are threats, the IDF will remain here to ensure our security. That's what we've done and what we intend to continue doing."

Katz outlined Israel's ongoing operations in the area, which include thwarting threats, dismantling remnants of the Assad regime's military infrastructure, and preventing any dangerous reorganization by Syria's new government. He also addressed Turkish involvement in Syria, revealing that Israel has taken decisive action against Ankara's regional ambitions.

"We acted against a Turkish attempt to establish itself in Syria in ways that threatened Israel's security interests. We made our position clear and will continue to stand by it," Katz said. He added that Israel destroyed all strategic infrastructure of Assad's military in a campaign lasting several days, aimed at ensuring Syria would no longer pose a strategic threat to Israel.

The visit comes amid heightened tensions with Turkey, following an Israeli strike last week on the Abu al-Duhur military airfield in Idlib province in northern Syria. The attack was carried out after intelligence indicated Turkey planned to deploy military forces at the facility. Katz concluded by stating that the IDF would continue acting decisively whenever necessary to protect Israeli citizens while maintaining Israel's strategic superiority in the northern arena.