Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that the IDF will remain at the peak of Mount Hermon and in the buffer zone, citing threats from Syria and protecting residents of the Golan Heights.
Katz called the decision “necessary to protect the Golan Heights settlements from threats looming from the Syrian side as a central lesson that we’ve learned from October 7.
The IDF took over the peak almost immediately after the collapse of the former president Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024.
Last month, Katz told US Senator Ted Cruz that he “didn’t trust” Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, saying that the allegedly reformed Islamist would use “jihadist groups” against Israel in the future.
We don’t trust al-Sharaa (aka al-Julani) either, especially when there has been no genuine reform or action taken to stop to violent sectarian clashes in Syria. Disguising himself in a fashion-forward business suit and tie and passing himself off as a moderate will not gain legitimacy for him in Israel’s eyes.