Syria has condemned the “illegal visit” carried out by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a delegation from his government to southern Syria on Wednesday, 19 November, describing it as “a serious violation of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The visit represents a new attempt to impose a fait accompli that contradicts relevant UN Security Council resolutions and falls within the “occupation’s” policies aimed at entrenching its aggression and continuing its violations of Syrian territory, according to a statement issued by the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates.
The statement said that Syria reiterates its “firm” demand for the withdrawal of what it described as the “Israeli occupation” from Syrian territory.
The ministry considered that all measures taken by Israel in southern Syria are “null and void” and produce no legal effect under international law.
In its statement, the Foreign Ministry called on the international community to assume its responsibilities, to deter the “practices of the occupation,” to compel it to fully withdraw from southern Syria, and to return to the 1974 disengagement agreement.
Netanyahu entered southern Syria accompanied by his Minister of Defense, Israel Katz, his Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa’ar, and the Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi.
“Of immense importance”
Speaking to his forces during a visit to an advanced position in the buffer zone under Israeli army control, Netanyahu said that Israel’s continued presence inside Syria is “of immense importance.”
“We attach great importance to our capabilities here, both defensive and offensive,” Netanyahu said, adding that the mission includes “protecting our Druze allies, and above all protecting the State of Israel and its northern border opposite the Golan Heights.”
He considered that this mission could evolve at any moment, according to a report by the Times of Israel.
Netanyahu wrote on X, “I visited the Golan Heights area in Syria, received an operational briefing, and met the fighters who bravely defend Israel every day. I am proud of our fighters.”
The Israeli prime minister attached his comments to photos taken inside the occupied Syrian territory.
Netanyahu enters southern Syria with Israeli delegation
“Netanyahu and Katz’s tour in Syrian territory comes amid American efforts to conclude a security agreement between Israel and Syria,” Israel’s Channel 12 reported on X.
In a related context, Israel’s internal security agency, Shin Bet, announced that it had uncovered a weapons smuggling network in northern Israel and arrested 23 people involved in the case, 18 of whom are Israeli citizens.
Where does the agreement stand?
Following the meeting between Syria’s transitional president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, in Washington on 10 November, the Syrian Foreign Ministry published a statement saying that the meeting, which lasted for more than an hour, discussed several issues, including the security agreement between Syria and Israel.
According to the Foreign Ministry, the US side confirmed its support for reaching a security agreement with Israel aimed at enhancing regional stability.
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa ruled out in an interview with Fox News on 11 November Syria’s accession to the Abraham Accords, explaining that “the situation in Syria is different from that of the countries that signed the agreement.”
Al-Sharaa said, “We have a border with Israel, which has occupied the Golan since 1967, and we are not currently about to enter into direct negotiations. Perhaps the United States under President Trump can play a role in this file.”
In his interview with the Washington Post, the Syrian president went into further detail about the agreement with Israel, criticizing its expansionist policy and its demands for disarmament in southern Syria.
The Syrian president reiterated that Syria is engaged in indirect negotiations, saying, “We are engaged in direct negotiations with Israel, and we have gone a long way toward reaching an agreement, but to reach a final agreement, Israel must withdraw to the positions it held before 8 December 2024.”
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