Israel Defence Minister vows to keep troops in Syria during visit
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz visited troops in southern Syria, asserting that Israel will maintain a security presence to counter regional threats. The Syrian government condemned the visit as a violation of its sovereignty.
Why it matters
This underscores the ongoing instability in post-Assad Syria and the persistent geopolitical friction between Israel and the Syrian state.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz made a rare visit to troops in southern Syria on Tuesday, reiterating a pledge to keep forces in the area as long as there were "threats" to his country's security.
Damascus slammed Mr. Katz's "illegal entry" into the country, which came a week after Israel bombed the disused Abu Duhur base in northwestern Syria, claiming it wanted to prevent Turkish troops from deploying to the facility. Ankara has denied any visit to the site.
In southern Syria, Israeli forces have been stationed in a "security zone" since the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
They occupy what was previously a buffer zone patrolled by the United Nations that had separated Israeli and Syrian forces in the Israeli-occupied Golan since 1974.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in