The Israeli Defense Minister instructed the forces to prepare to stay for the winter on the summit of Mount Hermon, which is located on the border between Syria, Lebanon and the UN demilitarized buffer zone in the Golan Heights.
This announcement comes after Israel took control of the region on December 8, following the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Defense Minister Israel Katz's office said in a statement, “Because of what is happening in Syria, there is enormous security importance to our adherence to the peak.”
Katz Posted a photo on X It shows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu using his binoculars and the phrase, “Overlooking the Syrian peak of Mount Hermon, which has returned to Israeli control after 51 years.”
The United Nations called on Israel to withdraw from the buffer zone between Syria and the Golan Heights, which is occupied by Israel.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement that he is “deeply concerned by the recent and widespread violations of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The United Nations said Israel was violating the 1974 disengagement agreement between Israel and Syria that established the buffer zone.
Israel said that the disengagement agreement signed in 1974 “collapsed” with the fall of the Syrian government.
The summit of Mount Hermon is located on the Syrian-Lebanese border. The UN base near the summit is located within the buffer zone.
The Golan Heights is a plateau about 60 kilometers (40 miles) southwest of Damascus.
Israel seized the region from Syria in the final stages of the Six-Day War in 1967 and annexed it in 1981. The move was not recognized internationally, although the United States did so unilaterally in 2019.
After rebel forces overthrew the Assad regime in Syria, the IDF took control of the buffer zone and moved to new positions in the Golan Heights, including the summit of Mount Hermon.
The statement issued by Katz's office said, “Everything must be done to ensure the readiness of the IDF at the site in order to allow the fighters to remain there in harsh weather conditions.”
Guterres said on Thursday that the 1974 agreement “remains in effect” and condemned any actions that contradict it. He called on its parties to fulfill their obligations, including “ending all unauthorized presence in the buffer zone.”
Guterres also expressed “particular concern” about hundreds of Israeli air strikes on several locations in Syria.
The Israeli army said that its air and naval forces carried out more than 350 raids this week, targeting Syrian military assets.
Israel said it was working to prevent weapons from falling “into the hands of extremists.”
