Israel signals plans to control security in Syria buffer zone and Gaza

Netanyahu and his defense minister visit strategic Mount Hermon peak in Syria

- Anat Peled & Omar Abdel-Baqui

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense minister visited the Syrian buffer zone that Israeli troops seized after the fall of the Assad regime and said they would continue to hold it indefinitely. Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, also signaled the country is planning to keep tighter and longer-term security control over the Gaza Strip. The moves indicated that Israel is taking advantage of its weakened neighbors to insulate itself better from possible threats.

Israel seized control of the 155-square-mile buffer zone in Syria after the Assad regime that had ruled the country for more than half a century collapsed just over a week ago. It also put troops on the peak of Mount Hermon. That high ground in the buffer zone offers a commanding view of strategically sensitive territory.

Katz, visiting the buffer zone and peak with Netanyahu on Tuesday, told soldiers to set up fortifications and prepare for an extended stay. He called the peak "the eyes of the state of Israel."

Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, the rebel leader who led the assault that ousted the Assad regime, said in an interview Monday that there was no justification for Israel's military to have troops inside Syria. Katz called the rebels extremists and said they needed to be deterred.

Israel's move into the buffer zone—created by a 1974 agreement between Israel and Syria that designated United Nations peacekeepers to be stationed there—was condemned by the U.N. and other countries including France, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt and Jordan. They called it a violation of international law that threatened Syria's territorial integrity. Israel has said the agreement was void after Syrian soldiers abandoned their posts as the regime collapsed.

Signs that Israel is preparing for an indefinite presence in the Gaza Strip continued to grow, as Katz said the military would maintain security control over the enclave just as it does in the occupied West Bank.