Israel to occupy Mount Hermon, pursue security deal with Syria

Israeli Security Minister Israel Katz announced on Tuesday that the Israeli military will remain deployed in areas it recently occupied in Syria, including Mount Hermon and surrounding positions in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

In a post on the X platform, Katz stated that the army would remain on Mount Hermon and in what he described as a “security zone necessary to protect the Golan Heights and the Galilee 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.

Following the fall of the Syrian government on December 8, 2024, “Israel” swiftly advanced into and occupied the entirety of Mount Hermon and several other key locations in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

Mount Hermon, situated in southwestern Syria near the Lebanese border, has historically served as a buffer zone between Syria and occupied Palestine since the 1970s. The area was governed by a disengagement agreement that had held for nearly five decades, but that framework has been eroded by the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government and “Israel’s” subsequent push to occupy more areas in the Golan Heights.

US mediates Israeli-Syrian talks toward ‘security deal’

Israeli outlet i24NEWS quoted an informed source as saying that the US administration is pushing for an agreement between Syria and “Israel” on new security arrangements ahead of the UN General Assembly session scheduled for September.

According to the source, Washington is encouraging the parties to formalize a de-escalation framework amid the ongoing military occupation and regional instability.

Roughly a week ago, a meeting took place in Paris between the Syrian Foreign Minister and the Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs. The talks were mediated by the United States and reportedly focused on “de-escalation,” according to Syria’s SANA news agency.

The developments signify a collapse of the decades-old disengagement structure that once governed Mount Hermon’s status as a neutral buffer zone. The Israeli occupation of Mount Hermon marks a significant shift in the regional balance, particularly with the presence of US mediation pushing for a negotiated outcome.

“Israel’s” decision to entrench its forces in Syrian territory amid diplomatic talks has raised concerns among regional observers, especially as tensions remain high and Syria’s sovereignty continues to be undermined.

While Katz’s statements seek to justify the occupation in terms of security and minority protection, critics argue that the move further destabilizes the area and complicates any future peace or security framework.

IOF storm Syria’s Beit Jann after occupying Tel Bat al-Warda

On a related note, on Monday, the IOF moved to occupy Tel Bat al-Warda on the slopes of Mount Hermon, followed by an incursion into the town of Beit Jann in the Damascus countryside, where an exchange of gunfire took place without reports of casualties.

Days earlier, they stormed the town of Abdeen in the Yarmouk Basin area in the western Daraa countryside with six military vehicles, advancing from the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

According to Syria TV, an occupation force consisting of 11 military vehicles and more than 60 personnel penetrated the Beit Jann area, confirming that the forces had earlier occupied Tel Bat al-Warda. This follows a series of recent violations by Israeli forces inside Syrian territory.