Syria on Wednesday condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Israeli troops stationed in southern Syria, calling it a “provocative” violation of its sovereignty.
“The Syrian Arab Republic strongly condemns the illegal entry of Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into Syrian territory and his tour of Mount Hermon,” Syria’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
The ministry described the visit as “a blatant violation” of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as international law.
Netanyahu visited the troops alongside Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, who said Israel would maintain its presence in the area.
“We will not allow any terrorist army to establish itself on our border,” Netanyahu said during the visit.
Katz, in a video message filmed on Mount Hermon and addressed to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, said Israeli forces would not withdraw from the area.
“We are here on Mount Hermon, we are in the security zone, and we are not moving from here,” he said.
Israeli forces have been stationed in a zone in southern Syria since December 2024. The area was previously part of a United Nations-patrolled buffer zone separating Israeli and Syrian forces in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
