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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled into an occupied area of southern Syria on Wednesday to inspect deployed military forces, marking his third official tour of the territory since the fall of the Assad government. The high-profile border visit drew immediate and fierce condemnation from officials in Damascus, who characterized the trip as an unacceptable provocation and an unlawful intrusion into Syrian land.
During his stop on the Syrian slopes of Mount Hermon, Netanyahu delivered a series of hawkish statements regarding regional security, claiming that the government in Tehran is nearing total collapse. The remarks come as broader US and Israeli military operations against Iran continue across the Middle East, with Israeli leadership framing the frontier deployment as a core component of its strategy against regional adversaries.
Standing alongside Defence Minister Israel Katz near the frontier, Netanyahu stated that significant military objectives remain, emphasizing that dismantling the Iranian leadership is the primary mission. He told troops that Israel is very close to achieving that objective and expressed confidence that the broader network of Iran-backed militant organizations throughout the region will ultimately disintegrate.
The prime minister firmly reasserted Israel’s operational posture along the northern frontier, declaring that Israeli authorities will under no circumstances permit hostile armed factions to entrench themselves on the country’s border. His appearance on Mount Hermon underscored Israel's ongoing strategy of projecting force directly beyond the armistice lines.
Israeli forces have maintained a permanent deployment within what they designate as a southern Syrian security zone since expanding their footprint in the area following the ouster of longtime Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. The military maneuver effectively overrode the longstanding United Nations-monitored buffer zone that had separated Israeli and Syrian armies across the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights since 1974.
The tour generated swift diplomatic outrage in Damascus, where the Syrian foreign ministry issued a strongly worded rebuke condemning the Israeli prime minister’s unannounced arrival. Syrian authorities denounced the tour as an illegal entry into sovereign territory and characterized it as a blatant violation of Syria's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and established international law.
Defence Minister Katz, who joined the premier during the high-altitude inspection, issued an overt warning to the new leadership in Damascus. In a video statement recorded on the heights of Mount Hermon, Katz directly addressed Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, emphasizing the proximity of Israeli forces to the Syrian capital.
Katz declared that Israel was delivering an unmistakable signal to the Syrian president, pointing out that al-Sharaa was seated in his presidential palace in Damascus just 35 kilometers away. The defence minister made clear that Israeli forces stationed on Mount Hermon and throughout the designated security zone have no intention of withdrawing from their positions.
In addition to addressing the administration in Damascus, Katz directed direct threats toward Tehran, referencing earlier direct confrontations between Israel and Iran. He highlighted that Israel had previously launched two major strikes against Iranian targets and warned that a third strike would be executed whenever necessary to dismantle emerging threats.
Wednesday’s tour represents Netanyahu’s third recorded visit to Israeli military units operating within the Syrian buffer region. The prime minister made his initial appearance in the zone in December 2024 immediately after Israeli forces moved into the territory, followed by a subsequent border inspection conducted in November 2025.
Katz had also toured Israeli military posts stationed across southern Syria roughly two weeks prior, a development that similarly drew formal protests from the Syrian government over violations of its borders. The recurring high-level Israeli visits underscore the deep political friction that persists across the frontier following the collapse of the previous Syrian administration.
For decades, the Syrian government under Hafez al-Assad and his son Bashar maintained a core strategic alliance with Tehran, frequently facilitating the operation of pro-Iranian paramilitary organizations within Syrian borders. However, that security partnership was abruptly dismantled when the Assad regime collapsed in late 2024, altering the geopolitical dynamics of the territory adjoining the Golan Heights.
Following the takeover of Damascus by Islamist leaders who replaced Assad, Israel has conducted hundreds of military strikes across Syria while repeatedly launching incursions across the frontier. Israeli officials maintain that these continuous operational measures are required to prevent hostile groups from taking root in the security vacuum.
Israeli authorities have consistently stated that their forces will remain embedded within the occupied security strip for the foreseeable future. Israeli leadership continues to advocate for a substantially broadened demilitarized zone on the Syrian side of the border to ensure that neither Iranian-backed groups nor other hostile elements can establish new operational footholds.
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