Fatshimetrie – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the Israeli military to remain in the Mount Hermon region of Syria until at least the end of 2025, a well-informed source told Fatshimetrie on Wednesday.
The mountain, Syria’s highest peak, was captured by Israel following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime to a rebel coalition earlier this month. Initially, Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, had called the move a temporary security measure.
Netanyahu’s move is aimed at keeping the forces in place long enough for the political and security situation in Syria to stabilize. He is also waiting, the source said, for clarification on the new Syrian leadership’s willingness to honor a 1974 agreement that created a buffer zone along the shared border, on which Mount Hermon sits. Before the takeover, the summit was demilitarized and patrolled by UN peacekeepers – their highest permanent position in the world.
Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, better known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, has accused Israel of crossing “the lines of engagement” with its actions in Syria. Meanwhile, several Arab states have accused Israel of taking advantage of the instability in Syria to carry out a land grab and “occupy other Syrian territories.”
Netanyahu, however, insists on the security need to control the area, saying that “Israel will not allow jihadist groups to fill this vacuum and threaten Israeli communities” in the occupied Golan Heights, an area in southwestern Syria that borders Mount Hermon and which Israel captured and annexed in 1981.
Recently, the Israeli government approved a plan by Netanyahu to expand settlements in the Golan, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, saying it was “with the aim of doubling the population” there.
Mount Hermon is a strategic position that overlooks Lebanon, Syria and Israel. It is also only about 35 kilometers from Damascus, meaning that control of its Syrian foothills – also currently in the hands of Israeli troops – puts the Syrian capital within artillery range.
The Israeli army continued its advance beyond the summit, to Beqaasem, about 25 km from Damascus, according to Voice of the Capital, a Syrian activist group. Fatshimetrie could not independently confirm the claim.
Mostafa Salem and Nadeen Ebrahim contributed to this report.
This analysis clearly shows major political and security issues related to the Mount Hermon region in Syria, highlighting the complexity of the relations between Israel, Syria and other regional actors. The strategic importance of this area is crucial for regional stability, and the decisions taken by the various actors will have a significant impact on the balance of powers in the region.