Damascus: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Israeli troops stationed in southern Syria on Wednesday, prompting a strong reaction from Damascus, which accused Israel of violating Syrian sovereignty and international law.
During the visit to the Syrian side of Mount Hermon near the Israel-Syria border, Netanyahu said Israel would continue its military presence in the area and claimed that Iran’s government was approaching collapse.
“There is still work to be done,” Netanyahu said alongside Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz. “The main task is to bring down the terror regime in Iran. We are very close to that.”
Netanyahu also said Iran-backed armed groups across the region would eventually collapse, describing them as part of an “axis” that Israel is seeking to weaken.
Israel has maintained troops in southern Syria since the fall of longtime Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Israeli forces moved beyond the former United Nations-patrolled buffer zone separating Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights area.
Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s position that it would not allow what he described as a “terrorist army” to establish itself along Israel’s border.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry strongly condemned Netanyahu’s visit, describing his entry into Syrian territory and tour of Mount Hermon as a “blatant violation” of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Damascus also called the visit provocative and said it violated international law.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, who accompanied Netanyahu, separately addressed Syria’s new President Ahmed al-Sharaa in a video message filmed on Mount Hermon.
Katz said Israeli forces would remain in the area and warned that Israel would continue taking military action when it believed there were threats from Iran.
“We are here on Mount Hermon, we are in the security zone, and we are not moving from here,” Katz said.
He also warned that Israel could launch further strikes against Iran, saying Israel had already attacked Iran twice and would do so again if necessary.
Netanyahu has previously visited Israeli forces inside the Syrian buffer zone, including in December 2024, shortly after Israel expanded its control over the area, and again in November 2025.
Katz also visited Israeli troops in southern Syria two weeks ago, drawing another condemnation from Damascus.
Syria had been a longstanding ally of Iran under Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez al-Assad, and hosted Iran-backed armed groups. That relationship changed following Assad’s fall.
Since then, Israel has carried out numerous airstrikes in Syria and repeatedly sent forces into Syrian territory, citing security concerns and the need to prevent hostile armed groups from establishing positions near its border.
Israeli officials have also said they intend to maintain control of the security zone and seek a wider demilitarised area in southern Syria.
The latest Netanyahu visit comes as fighting involving Israel, the United States and Iran continues to intensify across the wider Middle East, adding to tensions along Israel’s northern frontier.
