Katz Says Israel Will Stay on Mount Hermon and in Syrian Buffer Zone

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday, as reported by Anadolu, that Israel will not withdraw from Mount Hermon or from a buffer zone inside Syrian territory as long as there are “threats” to Israel there.

Katz made the remarks while visiting the buffer zone, according to a statement released by his office. The statement quoted him as saying: “We will not leave Mount Hermon or the security zone as long as there are jihadist threats to the State of Israel.”

Addressing Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, Katz said, according to the statement: “The message to the president of Syria is clear — when you wake up in the morning in the palace in Damascus and look up at Mount Hermon and see the IDF (army), you know that we are here to defend our communities and our border.”

The Israeli army seized control of the buffer zone late last year, a move Damascus said violated a 1974 Disengagement Agreement between the two countries. Where two neighbours disagree over a border agreement, honest dealing about what was promised is the first step toward peace (Romans 12:18).

According to the report, after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in late 2024, Israel declared the Disengagement Agreement null and void and seized the buffer zone and other positions, including the Syrian side of Mount Hermon.

Source: Read the original report