Syria condemns Netanyahu's 'provocative' entry into occupied territory

Syria has strongly condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's illegal entry into occupied Syrian territory, after he toured Jabal al-Sheikh in a bulletproof vest and boasted of Israel's "absolute control" over swathes of the region.

The Syrian foreign ministry described Netanyahu's visit as a "provocative step" and a "flagrant violation of Syria's sovereignty, territorial integrity and international law".

In a statement, the ministry warned that Israel's continued incursions and attacks inside Syrian territory represented a "dangerous escalation" threatening security and stability across the region.

Damascus held Israel fully responsible for the consequences of the violations and called on the United Nations, international organisations and influential states to act to halt Israeli attacks and ensure a return to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.

Netanyahu toured the summit of Jabal al-Sheikh on Wednesday alongside Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz and senior military officials, months after Israeli forces seized additional Syrian territory following the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

Standing on occupied Syrian land and pointing towards Damascus, Lebanon and the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, Netanyahu claimed Israel now exercised unprecedented control over the area.

"We control the entire region, from the summit of Jabal al-Sheikh to the Yarmouk [River], and from here to the Mediterranean Sea, absolute control that has never existed before," Netanyahu said.

He also claimed Israel would prevent "terrorist armies" from establishing themselves along its borders, before turning his attention to Iran and claiming Tehran's government was close to collapse.

"The main mission is to bring down the terror regime in Iran, and we understand that the entire axis will ultimately fall," Netanyahu said, adding that Israel was "very close" to achieving that objective.

Katz, who accompanied Netanyahu during the tour, meanwhile openly vowed that Israeli forces would not withdraw from the Syrian territory they currently occupy.

Addressing Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Katz said: "We are here on Jabal al-Sheikh, we are in the security zone, and we will not move from here."

He pointed out that Damascus was just 35 kilometres away from the Israeli position.

Israeli forces moved into the UN-patrolled buffer zone separating Syria and the occupied Golan Heights following Assad's fall in December 2024, with Israel declaring the 1974 disengagement agreement effectively collapsed.

Israel subsequently seized the Syrian side of Jabal al-Sheikh and other territory beyond the occupied Golan Heights, while carrying out repeated military incursions and attacks across Syria.

Netanyahu and Katz have since made repeated visits to the occupied Syrian territory, despite condemnations from Damascus.

Katz visited Israeli forces on Jabal al-Sheikh in August and similarly vowed that the military would remain there, saying Israeli troops had established positions at what had previously been a Syrian military site.

Netanyahu has also made similar highly publicised visits to Israeli military positions in Gaza and other fronts.

Last week, he appeared at an Israeli military position near the so-called Yellow Line in Gaza, where he said Israeli forces would remain. The line cuts off around 60% of the Palestinian territory.

The latest incursion comes despite US-mediated negotiations between Syria and Israel aimed at reaching a security agreement.

The two sides have held several rounds of talks and agreed on a mechanism for exchanging intelligence, but the negotiations have failed to halt Israeli attacks and incursions into Syrian territory.

Israel has simultaneously escalated military operations across the region, including attacks on Gaza and Lebanon, incursions into Syria and repeated threats against Iran and other regional states.

Netanyahu claimed earlier this week that the Iranian government was "weak" and "struggling to survive", threatening Tehran with an attack it "cannot even imagine" if it struck Israel.