Israeli Defense Minister Warns Syria: Any Territory Taken Will Remain Ours

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a sharp response to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's speech at the UN General Assembly, stating that any Syrian territory captured by Israel in a future conflict would be permanently annexed. Assad had declared that the Golan Heights would remain Syrian land. Katz asserted that Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights is indisputable and that the territory is an inseparable part of Israel forever.

Katz rejected the idea of returning to the pre-1973 security situation, referencing past agreements and alleging Syria violated them by becoming an Iranian base and a threat to Israel's borders. He explained that recent Israeli military actions inside Syria, specifically in the Mount Hermon and security zone areas occupied in 1973 and subject to a 1974 separation of forces agreement, were aimed at thwarting immediate threats. These actions were taken following the fall of the Assad regime to prevent jihadist threats from Syrian territory against Israel.

He further clarified that the Israeli military would remain in these areas as long as jihadist threats persist from Syrian security forces or other jihadist groups. Katz concluded with a stern warning to Damascus against escalating tensions, emphasizing that any attack on Israeli forces or territory from Syria would result in a forceful response, with any captured territory remaining Israeli permanently, in accordance with the laws of war. Israel, he stated, would act to prevent Syria from becoming a threat.