Syria Strongly Condemns Israeli Prime Minister's "Illegal Visit" to Southern Syria

The Syrian Transitional Government's Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning, in the strongest terms, the "illegal visit" by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others to the Israeli-occupied southern region of Syria.

Xinhua News Agency quoted the Syrian Foreign Ministry's statement on Wednesday (November 19), saying that this act seriously violated Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, was yet another example of Israel's attempt to "impose a fait accompli," and violated relevant UN Security Council resolutions. Syria reiterated its firm demand for Israel to withdraw its troops from Syrian territory, stating that all measures taken by the "Israeli occupation authorities" in southern Syria are invalid and have no legal effect under international law.

The statement called on the international community to assume its responsibility, stop Israel's actions, and force it to completely withdraw its troops from southern Syria.

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office said on Wednesday that Netanyahu, accompanied by senior political and military officials including the Minister of Defense, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Chief of the General Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces, "inspected" the military buffer zone in the Golan Heights. Speaking to soldiers at an Israeli outpost within the buffer zone, Netanyahu said that Israel "highly values" its defensive and offensive capabilities in the region, which helps protect its "Druz allies" in Syria and the security of Israel's northern border.

The Golan Heights is a narrow strip of land in southwestern Syria. Israel occupied most of this strategically important area during the 1967 Six-Day War and unilaterally annexed the Israeli-controlled portion of the Golan Heights in 1981. The international community does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

According to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, Syria and Israel established a military buffer zone on the eastern side of the Golan Heights. The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDEP) operates within this buffer zone to continuously monitor the ceasefire between Israel and Syria. Following the political upheaval in Syria last December, Israel, citing "self-defense," invaded and occupied the Golan Heights buffer zone and further encroached on adjacent areas, insisting that it would not withdraw its troops until a new agreement was reached with Syria to "ensure Israel's security."

Israel is also seeking cooperation with the Druze majority in Syria's southern Suwayda province to establish a so-called "defense zone" in the region, and has publicly demanded the "complete demilitarization" of Suwayda and the other two southern provinces. Clashes erupted in Suwayda in July, with Israel launching multiple airstrikes against Syrian targets.

According to Syrian media reports, under the mediation of the United States and other parties, Syria and Israel have held several rounds of negotiations in recent months seeking a new security agreement.