“Israel” Eyes Sheikh Mountain, Syria Deal

By Staff, Agencies

"Israeli" Security Minister Yisrael Katz announced on Tuesday that the "Israeli" occupation forces [IOF] will remain deployed in areas it recently occupied in Syria, including Sheikh Mountain [Mount Hermon] and surrounding positions in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

In a post on the X platform, Katz stated that the IOF would remain on Mount Hermon and in what he described as a "security zone necessary to protect the Golan Heights and Al-Jalil from threats coming from the Syrian side."

Katz also claimed that "Israel" would continue "protecting the Druze in Syria" as part of its excuse for maintaining the military presence.

After Syria’s government fell on December 8, 2024, "Israel" quickly occupied all of Sheikh Mountain and other strategic sites in the Syrian Golan Heights.

“Mount Hermon”, near the Lebanon-Syria border, has served as a buffer zone since the 1970s under a disengagement agreement. This nearly five-decade-old framework has unraveled following Assad’s government collapse and "Israel’s" expanded occupation in the Golan Heights.

Katz claims the occupation ensures security and protects minorities, but critics say it worsens instability and hinders future peace efforts.

On Monday, the IOF occupied Tel Bat Al-Warda near “Mount Hermon” and then entered Beit Jann in Damascus countryside, where gunfire was exchanged but no casualties were reported.

Syria TV reported that an “Israeli” force of 11 vehicles and over 60 personnel entered Beit Jann after occupying Tel Bat Al-Warda, marking another recent violation of Syrian territory.