Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered Israeli forces that moved into the Syrian side of Mount Herman on the Golan Heights to remain in these positions through the winter, Katz’s office announced on Friday.
This was important on account of events in Syria, Katz said. Large parts of Syria and Lebanon can be observed from this 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, including the Syrian side of Mount Hermon.
At the time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the move as temporary “until a suitable arrangement is found.”
The move has met with international criticism.
Since the fall of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad to the rebels, Israel’s Air Force has taken advantage of the power vacuum by massively bombing military facilities in the country’s interior.
There were renewed air strikes early Friday, with weapons depots and research centres in the rural areas of Homs and Hama hit, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
