Israeli forces to stay at Syria's Mount Hermon until new deal: Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israeli forces will occupy the buffer zone on the Syrian border and specifically the summit of Mount Hermon, "until another arrangement is found that will ensure Israel’s security."

Netanyahu made the comments on Tuesday from the mountain's snow-dusted summit — the highest peak in the area — which is located in Syria.

This was apparently the first time a sitting Israeli leader entered the Syrian territory.

Netanyahu said he had been on the summit of Mount Hermon 53 years ago as a soldier, but the summit’s importance to Israel’s security has only increased given recent events.

Israel invaded a swath of southern Syria along the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, calling it a buffer zone, in the days after Syrian regime leader Bashar Assad was ousted by armed anti-regime groups.

Israel's incursion into the buffer zone has sparked condemnation, with critics condemning Israel for violating the 1974 ceasefire and exploiting the chaos in Syria for a land grab.

'Eyes of Israel'

Netanyahu entered the buffer zone with Defence Minister Israel Katz, who said he instructed the Israeli military to quickly establish a presence including fortifications, in anticipation of what could be an extended occupation of the area.

"The summit of the Hermon is the eyes of the state of Israel to identify our enemies who are nearby and far away," Katz claimed.

Israeli forces moved to seize a roughly 400-square-kilometer (155-square-mile) demilitarised buffer zone in Syrian territory.

The buffer zone between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights was created by the UN after the 1973 Mideast war. A UN force of about 1,100 troops had patrolled the area since then.

Israel still occupies the Golan Heights, which it captured from Syria during the 1967 Mideast war and later illegally annexed — a move not recognised by majority of the international community.

Mount Hermon's summit is divided between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Lebanon, and Syria. Only the United States recognises Israel's control of the Golan Heights.