Defence Minister Israel Katz on Friday ordered Israeli forces that moved into the Syrian side of Mount Herman on the Golan Heights to remain in these positions through winter.
The deployment is important on account of events in Syria, Katz said, as large parts of Syria and Lebanon can be observed from the strategic position.
Mount Hermon was “under Israeli control again after 51 years,” Katz posted on X, terming it an “exciting historic moment.”
Israeli forces moved into the buffer zone along the Golan Heights following the victory of Islamist rebels in Syria over Bashar al-Assad’s regime last week.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the move as temporary “until a suitable arrangement is found.”
The deployment has met with international criticism, but the Israeli military has defended the move, saying that various weapons have been found in the area.
In the latest statement on Friday, the military said Israeli paratroopers have secured anti-tank missiles and ammunition.
Meanwhile, since al-Assad’s regime collapsed on December 8, Israeli warplanes have been carrying out strikes in locations across Syria, mainly targeting sites of former Syrian government troops.
Israel has hit more 300 Syrian military posts in nearly a week, with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights recording strikes on weapons and scientific research warehouses in west-central Syria.
The war monitor also said that Israel struck the Qusayr countryside, which is close to the Lebanese border.
