Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz visited IDF installations on the summit of Mount Hermon in Syrian territory on Wednesday, together with Prime Minister Netanyahu.
In his remarks, the Defense Minister stressed the importance of the Israeli military presence in the area and sent a sharp message to the political echelons in Syria and the region. "From here, we defend the communities in the Golan Heights and the Galilee, keep an eye on the Hezbollah stronghold in Lebanon's Beka'a, and send a very strong and clear message to the President of Syria who is sitting 35 kilometers down there in the palace in Damascus: we are here in the Hermon, we are in the security zone, and we are not moving from here to protect against threats by any Jihadist element on this side of the border or from within the Syrian system itself."
Katz detailed the operational moves underway every night and connected the activity in Syria with that on the other fronts. "We destroyed the enemy's infrastructure in Gaza, Lebanon, and here too, IDF soldiers operate nightly to destroy the infrastructure of Jihadist forces to defend the communities of the Golan and Galilee, and on the State of Israel."
The Defense Minister also addressed the confrontation with Iran and efforts to thwart threats against Israel, stressing that the defense establishment is prepared to continue operating if necessary. “Iran remains in the background. We struck it twice, and when necessary, we will strike it a third time to continue thwarting the threats. We eliminated the nuclear threat, killed Khamenei and damaged its strategic capabilities. We will continue to act this way against every threat - both the Shiite axis led by Iran and the Hamas axis led by the Muslim Brotherhood here and across the region. We will ensure the security of all residents of the State of Israel."