Israel defense minister vows to keep troops in Syria during visit

Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria since the fall of Bashar Assad and made repeated incursions into Syrian territory.(AFP) — Israeli Defense 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 are “threats” to his country’s security.Damascus slammed Katz’s “illegal entry” into the country, which came a week after Israel bombed the disused Abu Duhur base in northwestern Syria, saying 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 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 Heights since 1974.“There is daily activity here to thwart threats, to eliminate remnants of the old regime, to prevent dangerous consolidation of the new regime,” Katz said, according to a video statement from his office.“The message is clear to the president of Syria as well: When you wake up in the morning in your palace in Damascus, look up at Mount Hermon and see the IDF — you know we are here to protect our communities and our border,” he added.“As long as there are threats, the IDF will remain here to guarantee our security — this is what we have done and this is what we intend to continue doing in the future,” Katz said.Syria’s Foreign Ministry said Katz’s visit was a “flagrant violation of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”It urged the international community to take “the necessary measures to force the occupying authorities to halt these repeated violations.”Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria since the fall of Assad and made repeated incursions into Syrian territory.Officials have also repeatedly vowed to keep troops in the security zone, where Israel is seeking a broader demilitarized area.Israeli military chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir visited troops in the security zone last week, saying the military would not allow threats to “establish themselves” on the border.During his visit Tuesday, Katz addressed the strike on the Abu Duhur air base, saying Israel had “acted against a Turkish attempt to entrench itself in Syria, at the risk of Israel’s security interests.”Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads