Israel to Stay in Demilitarized Zone in Syria’s Golan Heights ‘Indefinitely
Israel’s defense minister visits army forces in demilitarized zone in Syria’s Golan Heights
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that his army forces will not withdraw from the demilitarized zone recently occupied in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and will stay there “indefinitely.”
The Israeli army “will remain at the summit of the Hermon (Jabal al-Sheikh) and the security zone indefinitely to ensure the security of the communities of the Golan Heights and the north, and all the residents of Israel,” he said during a visit to Israeli forces in the area.
Israel “will not allow hostile forces to establish themselves in the security zone in southern Syria… we will act against any threat,” he added.
The army said early Tuesday that it had transferred and installed military equipment in the demilitarized zone in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.
The defense minister said Israel will make contact with “friendly populations” in the southern Syria area “with an emphasis on the large Druze community which has historic and close family relations with our Druze brothers in Israel.”
The Israeli army occupied the demilitarized zone early December 2024, violating the 1974 Disengagement Agreement with Syria, in a move that expanded Israel’s control over the Golan Heights, most of which it has occupied since the 1967 Middle East War.
At the time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the seizure of the demilitarized zone was “temporary,” without specifying a date for the army’s withdrawal from the area.
Bashar Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party’s regime, which had been in power since 1963.
A new administration led by Ahmed Al-Sharaa has now taken control of the country.
