Israel’s military will remain inside Syrian territory – in what is supposed to be a demilitarized zone – indefinitely, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday, as part of what he described as an effort to bolster security amid unrest in Syria.

The troops will remain “until another agreement is found that will ensure Israel’s security,” Netanyahu said atop Mount Hermon, which is divided between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Lebanon and Syria.

Israel entered the demilitarized buffer zone, east of the Golan Heights, earlier this month after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Its seizure of around 400 square kilometers of Syrian territory has sparked accusations that Israel is violating a 1974 UN-brokered ceasefire that established the zone, and that it is taking advantage of the chaos in its northeastern neighbor to seize land.

Israel captured and later annexed the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. His right to the region is recognized only by the USA

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, appearing with Netanyahu, said he had instructed the military to quickly establish a presence, including fortifications, in anticipation of what could be a prolonged presence in the area.

The mountaintop, the highest point in the area, will be “the eyes of the State of Israel to recognize our enemies near and far,” Katz said.

An Israeli military official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity in accordance with military regulations, said there was no plan to evacuate Syrians living there from the zone.

This is not the first time that Israel has entered the buffer zone this year.

AP report last month review of satellite images revealed that Israel has been working on a construction project, possibly a new road, near Syria since July, and in some cases entered the zone during construction.

UN forces later warned that the Israeli military had committed “serious violations” of its ceasefire agreement with Syria.

Airstrikes in Syria

Israeli troops began entering the buffer zone on December 7, according to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar; on the same day, unidentified gunmen attacked UN forces in Syria.

“(The Israeli military) took targeted and temporary control of certain areas near the border to prevent an October 7 scenario from Syria,” Saar said at the time, referring to a surprise Hamas attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip in 2023.

This was followed by a wave of airstrikes inside Syria that hit more than 350 targets including anti-aircraft batteries, military airfields, weapons production facilities, fighter jets and missiles, the Israeli military said.

Israeli missiles also hit Syrian ports where 15 naval ships were moored.

Israeli officials said the strikes across Syria were aimed at destroying strategic weapons and military infrastructure to prevent their use by the rebel groups that ousted al-Assad, some of which emerged from movements linked to al-Qaida and Islamic State.

Netanyahu previously described entering the buffer zone as a necessary and “temporary defensive position.”

Regional condemnation

A UN spokesman said Tuesday that the Israeli troop advance, however long it takes, violates the deal that established the buffer zone.

That agreement “should be respected, and an occupation is an occupation, whether it lasts a week, a month or a year, it remains an occupation,” said Stephane Dujarric.

There was no immediate comment from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the rebel group that led the ouster of al-Assad, or from Arab states.

Earlier, Ahmad al-Sharaa — Syria’s de facto leader and head of HTS — said Israel was using false pretexts to justify its attacks, but made it clear it was not interested in engaging in new conflicts while the country focused on reconstruction.

Others in the region condemned Israel’s move into Syrian territory earlier this month. Egypt’s foreign ministry accused Israel of “taking advantage of the power vacuum… to occupy more Syrian territories and create a fait accompli in violation of international law.”

Saudi Arabia separately criticized Israel for its “determination to undermine opportunities for Syria to restore its security, stability and territorial integrity.”