Israel Katz vows troops will stay in southern Syria

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz visited troops in southern Syria on Tuesday and said Israeli forces would remain there as long as Israel considered there to be threats to its security.

Israeli forces have been stationed in a “security zone” in southern Syria since the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. They occupy what had been a United Nations-patrolled buffer zone separating Israeli and Syrian forces in the Israeli-occupied Golan since 1974.

Katz said in a video statement from his office that Israeli forces were carrying out daily activity “to thwart threats” and prevent what he called dangerous consolidation by Syria's new authorities.

“As long as there are threats, the IDF will remain here to guarantee our security,” Katz said.

The visit came a week after Israel bombed the disused Abu Duhur base in northwestern Syria. Israel said it wanted to prevent Turkish troops from deploying there, while Ankara denied any visit to the site.

During Tuesday's visit, Katz said Israel had acted against what he called a Turkish attempt to entrench itself in Syria at the risk of Israel's security interests.

Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria since Assad's fall and made repeated incursions into Syrian territory. Israeli officials have repeatedly vowed to keep troops in the security zone, where Israel is seeking a broader demilitarised area.

Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir visited troops in the security zone last week and said the military would not allow threats to establish themselves on the border.