Netanyahu Declares Israel’s ‘Forever’ Illegal Occupation of Syrian Land

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu asserts that Israel’s occupation of Syrian territory will remain permanent, despite international criticism and ongoing tensions.

Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Monday that the Golan Heights, currently under illegal occupation, “will forever be an inseparable part” of Israel. This declaration followed his order a day earlier for Israeli troops to advance into a buffer zone separating the area from Syria.

During a press conference on Monday night, Netanyahu stated that “today, everyone recognizes the significant importance of our presence in the Golan Heights rather than just its foothills,” alluding to Israel’s capture of this territory from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War.

He added, “The Golan Heights will always remain an integral part of the state of Israel.”

In 1981, Israel unilaterally annexed the Golan Heights, a move deemed illegal by all countries except the United States. However, as of Sunday, Israeli forces were not positioned along the border between the Golan Heights and Syria due to an agreement made in 1974. This accord established a buffer zone on Israel’s side of the frontier where only UN peacekeepers were permitted to operate.

On Sunday, Israel deployed tanks and troops into the buffer zone following opposition forces’ capture of Damascus and Syria’s ousted president, Bashar al-Assad, fleeing to Russia for asylum. In a video statement from the area, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Syrian troop withdrawal had led to the effective “collapse” of the 1974 agreement establishing this demilitarized strip.

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On Monday, Israeli forces advanced past the buffer zone into Syria in an operation that Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described as a move to establish a new “security area” free of “heavy strategic weapons and terrorist infrastructure.” Among the locations seized by Israeli troops was Mount Hermon’s Syrian side, notable for being one of the initial battle sites during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

Approximately 20,000 Jewish settlers reside in the Golan Heights, which is also home to a similar number of Syrian Druze. The roughly 30 Jewish settlements in this area are regarded as illegal under international law.

Netanyahu characterized Israel’s entry into the buffer zone as “temporary.” However, several neighboring nations have accused Israel of exploiting the power vacuum in Damascus to facilitate an unlawful land acquisition.

In a statement released on Monday, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry described the action as “a dangerous escalation and an overt assault on Syria’s sovereignty and unity,” highlighting it as a clear breach of international law. Similarly, Egypt accused Israel of taking advantage of Assad’s downfall “to seize additional Syrian territory and enforce new ground realities that violate international law.”