Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that Israeli forces would remain on the Syrian summit of Mount Hermon for "as long as necessary."
During a visit to the area with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior security officials for a situational assessment, Katz said on Tuesday, "We will stay here for as long as necessary," emphasizing that the military presence at the strategically significant summit "strengthens security," Xinhua news agency reported.
"Mount Hermon's summit is Israel's eyes for identifying near and distant threats. From here, we can see Hezbollah positions in Lebanon to the right, and Damascus to the left," he said. The military has to "quickly" complete its deployment in the area, including "fortifications, defensive measures and improving the conditions of the soldiers" to prepare for a stay, Katz said.
Partially captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war, Mount Hermon is on the Golan Heights. Israel annexed the mountain in 1981.
The mountain stretches from Syria across Lebanon and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Its highest peak stands at an elevation of 2,814 metres in Syria, although the southern slopes and a lower summit are found on the Israeli-occupied land.
On December 8, Israeli forces took the buffer zone, a demilitarized area in the Golan Heights that had been under observation by a United Nations force since the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, and also took a Syrian army outpost at the summit of Mount Hermon. The step drew international condemnation.
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