Syria has condemned the illegal entry of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into Syrian territory and his tour of Mount Hermon.

In a statement issued Wednesday, September 9, the Syrian Foreign Ministry described the move as “a provocative step and a flagrant violation of Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and international law.”

The ministry called the continuation of Israeli incursions and attacks inside Syrian territory a dangerous escalation that threatens security and stability in the region.

The Foreign Ministry held the Israeli occupation fully responsible for its violations, calling on the United Nations, international organizations, and influential states to shoulder their responsibilities.

It demanded an end to these attacks and a return to the 1974 disengagement agreement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Israeli forces stationed on Mount Hermon in Syria on Wednesday, on the eve of the Jewish New Year.

This is not the first time Netanyahu and ministers from his government have visited what Israel calls security zones in Syria, which it seized after the fall of the Assad regime on December 8, 2024.

Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz also visited the summit of Mount Hermon on August 25, saying from there that his forces would remain in the Syrian territory they control as long as threats to Israel persisted, and stressing that the army “will not move from here.”

Israel maintains a number of military positions in southern Syria, citing security concerns over the possibility of a scenario similar to the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation emerging from the Syrian border.

It has refused to withdraw from Syrian territory, despite Damascus affirming that it does not want escalation and calling for a return to the 1974 disengagement agreement signed between the two sides.

“Full Control”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israeli forces had achieved full control over the area stretching from the summit of Mount Hermon to the Yarmouk River and the Mediterranean Sea.

“We are on the summit of Mount Hermon. Damascus is here, Lebanon is there, and the Syrian Golan Heights are there,” Netanyahu said, according to his office’s account on the platform X, adding that this level of control was “unprecedented.”

He added that Israel would not allow any “terrorist army” to control its borders, describing this as one of the key achievements of its ongoing war, which he called the “war of redemption.”

Netanyahu’s remarks came after he received a briefing on operational activity at a forward military position overlooking Syria from Mount Hermon, accompanied by Defense Minister Yisrael Katz and Deputy Chief of Staff Major General Tamir Yadai, and in the presence of Northern Command chief Major General Rafi Milo and “Division 210” commander Brigadier General Yair Palti.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.