Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered Israeli forces entering the Syrian side of Mount Herman on the Golan Heights to remain in these positions through the winter, Katz’s office announced Friday.
This was important because of the events in Syria, Katz said. Large parts of Syria and Lebanon can be viewed from this strategic position.
Mount Hermon was “back under Israeli control after 51 years,” Katz wrote on X, calling it an “exciting historical moment.”
Israeli forces entered 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 was met with international criticism.
Since the fall of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad by the rebels, the Israeli air force has taken advantage of the power vacuum by massively bombing military facilities in the country.
There were further airstrikes on Friday, hitting weapons depots and research centers in the rural areas of Homs and Hama, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
