Defense Minister Israel Katz visited IDF troops at the Hermon crest in Syria on Tuesday, stating that the military will remain as long as jihadist threats persist. MK Amit Halevi said the presence at the crest is a significant military shift and a direct message to Turkey, which he said seeks to entrench in the area.
Defense Minister Israel Katz toured the Hermon crest in southern Syria on Tuesday, accompanied by senior IDF officers including Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai, Northern Command head Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo, and the head of the IDF's Syria Directorate, Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian. Katz received a comprehensive security briefing and praised the soldiers and reservists operating in the sector.
In a statement, Katz said the IDF will remain at the Hermon crest and throughout the buffer zone as long as jihadist threats to Israel persist. He also said Israel acted to block a Turkish attempt to entrench in Syria, warning that Jerusalem will stand by its position. "When you wake up in the morning in the palace in Damascus and look up at the Hermon and see the IDF — you know we are here to protect our communities and our border," Katz said, directly addressing Syria's president.
MK Amit Halevi (Likud), who commented on the visit, called the Israeli presence at the Hermon crest a "significant shift" for the military and a direct message to Turkey. The tour follows a series of similar visits by Israeli defense officials to the Syrian buffer zone in recent weeks, underscoring Israel's commitment to maintaining a military presence on the Hermon ridge as a strategic observation and defense post.
2 developments
Source and signal
- Open-source intake