Israel's Defense Minister Vows to Keep Syrian Territory Taken in Retaliation

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz responded forcefully to a speech by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, stating that Israel will not withdraw from the Hermon and the security zone.

Katz declared that Israel's continued presence is necessary to prevent "jihadist threats" from Syria against the Jewish state. He warned that if Israeli forces or territory are attacked from Syria, Israel will respond, and any territory captured during such a response will be permanently annexed, in accordance with the laws of war. "We will not allow Syria to become a threat to the State of Israel and will act to prevent it as required," Katz stated.

Assad, speaking at the UN, had asserted that the Golan Heights "will remain Syrian land" and that any annexation measures are void under UN Security Council Resolution 497. He called on international partners to uphold international law, emphasizing that no attempt to impose facts on the ground can undermine Syria's legitimacy, sovereignty, or the validity of international law.

The Syrian president also accused Israel of "standing out in its exceptionalism and attacking Syria with about 500 air and artillery strikes, more than 1,200 incursions into its territory, and soon 300 arrests and detentions of Syrians." Assad claimed these actions threaten Syria's stability, contradict global trends, and evoke painful memories for Syrians of a period they barely escaped.