Defense Minister Israel Katz visited today (Tuesday) the IDF posts in the buffer zone on the summit of Mount Hermon, together with the Deputy Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai, and the commander of Division 210, Brigadier General Yair Falai.
Katz sought to convey a message to the new regime in Syria. "Every morning when Julani opens his eyes in the presidential palace in Damascus, he will see the IDF watching him from the heights of Mount Hermon and will remember that we are here, and in all the security areas in southern Syria, to protect the residents of the Golan and the Galilee from any threat from him and his jihadist friends."
He declared that "the IDF is preparing to stay in Syria for an indefinite period. We will hold the security area and Mount Hermon and ensure that the entire security area in southern Syria is demilitarized and free of weapons and threats, and will also protect the safety of the Druze in the area."
"Last night, we acted forcefully against military targets and attacked over 40 targets in the area of southern Syria in order to implement the policy we announced and warned about and to thwart threats to the State of Israel. We will strengthen ties with the residents of the area and soon, on the 16th of the month, the work of the Druze in the Golan Heights communities will begin," the Defense Minister concluded.
Katz's visit to the buffer zone follows reports of a massacre of about 1,000 civilians in Alawite areas in recent days, creating uncertainty over the future of Syria's minority communities.