Israel’s defence minister vows to keep troops in Syria during visit

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz visited troops stationed in southern Syria on Tuesday, reaffirming the government's commitment to maintaining a military presence in the area. The visit came after Israel bombed a disused air base in northwestern Syria, ostensibly to prevent Turkish forces from establishing a presence at the facility.

Damascus condemned Katz's "illegal entry" into Syria, while Turkey denied any involvement in the base strike. Since the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Israeli forces have been stationed in a security zone in southern Syria, an area previously controlled by a UN-patrolled buffer zone that separated Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights since 1974.

Katz claimed the troops' daily activities focus on countering threats, eliminating remnants of the old regime, and preventing dangerous consolidation of the new regime. He urged the Syrian president to look up at Mount Hermon and see the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), emphasizing that the military presence is aimed at protecting Israeli communities and border areas.

Syria's Foreign Ministry denounced Katz's visit as a "flagrant violation of the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity," urging the international community to take measures to halt the "repeated violations" by occupying forces. Israel has launched numerous strikes in Syria since Assad's fall and has repeatedly invaded Syrian territory, vowing to keep troops in the security zone to create a broader demilitarised area.

During his visit, Katz also addressed the recent strike on the Abu Duhur air base, asserting that Israel acted against a Turkish attempt to establish itself in Syria, potentially threatening Israel's security interests.