Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the country’s military to remain in the area of Syria’s Mount Hermon until at least the end of 2025. The strategically important mountain, Syria’s highest peak, was captured by Israel following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime to a rebel-led coalition earlier this month.
Netanyahu's decision is aimed at maintaining security in the region until the political-security situation in Syria stabilizes. He is also waiting for clarity on whether Syria’s new leaders will honor a 1974 agreement that created a buffer zone along the shared border, where Mount Hermon’s summit sits. Prior to the Israeli takeover, the summit was demilitarized and patrolled by UN peacekeepers.
Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, accused Israel of crossing “the lines of engagement” with its actions in Syria. Arab states have also accused Israel of exploiting instability in Syria to execute a land grab and occupy more Syrian territories.
Netanyahu emphasized the security need for control of the area to prevent jihadi groups from threatening Israeli communities in the occupied Golan Heights, which Israel captured and annexed in 1981. The Israeli government recently approved a plan to expand settlements in the Golan Heights to increase the population in the region.
Mount Hermon overlooks Lebanon, Syria, and Israel, and is located just over 35 kilometers from Damascus. Israeli troops currently control the Syrian foothills of Mount Hermon, putting the Syrian capital within artillery range. The Israeli military has extended its presence beyond the summit, advancing as far as Beqaasem, approximately 25 km from Damascus, according to reports from Syrian activist groups.
