08.12.2025 06:31
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the Israeli army will not withdraw from the territories it has occupied in southern Syria. Netanyahu said, "We want to protect entities such as the buffer zone adjacent to Mount Hermon (Jebel al-Sheikh) and the Golan Heights."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated in a speech at a conference attended by Israeli ambassadors, mission chiefs, and Foreign Ministry officials that they will not withdraw from the territories they occupy following the fall of the Baath regime in Syria.
Regarding the Mount Hermon (Jebel al-Sheikh) in southern Syria, which they occupied immediately after the fall of the Baath regime, and the buffer zone adjacent to the Golan Heights, which they have held since 1967, Netanyahu stated, "We want to protect these assets."
"I HOPE WE CAN REACH AN AGREEMENT"
Netanyahu claimed that they hope to reach an agreement with the Damascus administration for the disarmament of southern Syria and to enable the Druze to "be able to take care of themselves."
WHAT HAPPENED?
Syrian Foreign Minister Assad Hasan Sheybani announced that there would be no agreement with this country until Israel withdraws from Syrian territory. Sheybani noted that there are unchangeable red lines regarding Israel's withdrawal from Syrian territory, stating, "There will be no agreement without Israel withdrawing from Syrian territory. There should be a bilateral, fair, and just approach that takes into account both the Syrian and Israeli sides." Although negotiations were held under U.S. mediation for a new security agreement between Israel and Syria, no results were achieved.
ISRAEL'S ATTACKS AND OCCUPATION OF SYRIA
Following the intensifying clashes in Syria on November 27, 2024, and the simultaneous collapse of the 61-year-old Baath regime on December 8, 2024, the Israeli army increased its attacks on Syria. The Israeli army, which began to destroy the military infrastructure and capabilities left by the regime's army, expanded its occupation in the Golan Heights, which is Syrian territory.
The Israeli army, which entered the buffer zone around the Golan Heights, advanced its occupation further, reaching within 25 kilometers of the capital Damascus. Israel has occupied the Golan Heights, which belong to Syria, since 1967. The borders of the buffer zone and the demilitarized zone were defined by the Forces Withdrawal Agreement signed between Israel and Syria in 1974.