The IDF has reportedly taken control of the Jabal al-Sheikh site on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, following the withdrawal of Syrian forces, according to a security source cited by Saudi Arabia’s Al-Arabiya TV on Sunday. This move grants the IDF additional control over key positions along the ceasefire line with Syria.
This development marks a significant shift, as IDF forces are now positioned beyond enemy lines on three fronts—Gaza, southern Lebanon, and Syria—for the first time since the Six-Day War.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, alongside Defense Minister Israel Katz, visited the Syrian border earlier today to address the unfolding situation. Calling it a “historic day in the history of the Middle East,” Netanyahu linked the fall of the Assad regime to actions taken by Israel: “The Assad regime is a central link in Iran’s axis of evil – this regime has fallen. This is a direct result of the blows we have inflicted on Iran and Hezbollah, the main supporters of the Assad regime.”
Netanyahu highlighted both opportunities and risks arising from the new circumstances: “We are working first and foremost to defend our border. This area was controlled for nearly 50 years by a buffer zone agreed upon in 1974, the separation of forces agreement. This agreement collapsed, the Syrian soldiers abandoned their positions.”
He explained his directive for the IDF to act decisively: “Together with the Minister of Defense, and with the full backing of the Cabinet, I instructed the IDF yesterday to seize the buffer zone and the adjacent control positions. We will not allow any hostile force to establish itself on our border.”
Despite the tensions, Netanyahu underscored Israel’s commitment to maintaining good relations with Syria: “The same good neighborliness that we maintained when we established a field hospital here that treated thousands of Syrians who were wounded and injured in the civil war. Hundreds of Syrian children were born here in Israel.”
This pivotal event underscores a shift in the regional balance of power and Israel’s strategic posture in the region.
