Jakarta – Israeli Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu instructed his military to remain in the Mount Hermon area in the southern part of Syria. Netanyahu asked the military to remain there until the end of 2025.
According to CNN, Friday (20/12/2024), Israel captured a strategically important mountain, the highest peak in Syria, after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, initially considered this action as a temporary security measure.
CNN sources claim that Netanyahu’s order aims to maintain the troops long enough until the political security situation in Syria stabilizes. The directive is also to wait for clarity on whether the new Syrian leader intends to honor the 1974 agreement that created a buffer zone along the joint border, where the summit meeting on Mount Hermon was held.
Until the takeover, the area was demilitarized and patrolled by UN peacekeeping forces – which was their highest permanent position in the world.
Meanwhile, the new Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani, stated that Israel crossed the line of engagement with its actions in Syria. Several Arab countries also stated that Israel is exploiting the instability in Syria to seize land and “occupy more Syrian territory.”
As is known, Mount Hermon is a mountain located on the border between Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. This mountain is the highest point in the Palestinian territories.
In response to this, Netanyahu claimed that Israel was only securing the area and stated that ‘Israel will not allow jihadist groups to fill the void and threaten Israeli communities’ in the occupied Golan Heights.
Last week, the Israeli government was reported to have approved Netanyahu’s plan to expand settlements in the Golan Heights. It is claimed to be ‘based on the desire to double the population there.’
Mount Hermon has a strategic location as it overlooks Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. It is also only about 35 kilometers (approximately 22 miles) from Damascus, which means control over the Syrian foothills – currently also in the hands of Israeli forces – places the Syrian capital within artillery range.
Israel Occupies Strategic Mountain in Syria, Justifying It as Territorial Defense
