Netanyahu says Israel won’t withdraw from Southern Syria

(MENAFN) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Sunday that Israel’s military will maintain its presence in territories captured in southern Syria.

Speaking at a conference attended by Israeli ambassadors, mission heads, and Foreign Ministry officials, Netanyahu emphasized that Israel will not retreat from areas occupied following the fall of Syria’s Baath regime on December 8, 2024.

"We want to preserve these assets," he said, referring to Jabal al-Sheikh (Mount Hermon) and the buffer zone next to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, a region Israel has controlled since 1967.

Netanyahu added that Israel aims to negotiate with Damascus on demilitarizing southern Syria.

Reports indicate that Israeli military operations in Syria escalated after the collapse of the 61-year Baath regime on December 8, 2024, following clashes that intensified on November 27.

Israeli forces reportedly destroyed military infrastructure left behind by regime troops and expanded their occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights.

Forces reportedly moved into the buffer zone near the Golan Heights and advanced to within 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) of Damascus.

Israel has occupied the Golan Heights since 1967, and a 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria established the borders for buffer and demilitarized zones.

Syrian officials have previously stated that no agreement with Israel would be possible unless Israeli forces withdraw from Syrian territory.

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