Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israeli forces will stay in a buffer zone on the Syrian border, seized after the ouster of Syria’s President Bashar Assad, until another arrangement is in place “that ensures Israel’s security.”
Netanyahu made the comments from the summit of Mount Hermon — the highest peak in the area — inside Syria, about 6 miles from the border with the Israel-held Golan Heights.
It appeared to be the first time a sitting Israeli leader had set foot that far into Syria. Netanyahu said he had been on the same mountaintop 53 years ago as a soldier, but the summit’s importance to Israel’s security has only increased given recent events.
Meanwhile, Hamas said Tuesday that the terrorist group believes it’s still possible to reach a Gaza ceasefire agreement and a hostage exchange deal that would end the 14-month war in the enclave. Hamas lauded the “serious and positive” meditation efforts by Egypt and Qatar to reach a ceasefire.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on X on Tuesday morning that Israel wants to have “security control” over Gaza the same way it does in the West Bank after it dismantles Hamas’ military and government capabilities.
(Las Vegas Review Journal)
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