Israel will not withdraw from Mount Hermon or a buffer zone inside Syrian territory as long as there are “threats” to Israel there, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday, Anadolu reports.

He made the remarks while visiting the buffer zone, according to a statement released by his office.

“We will not leave Mount Hermon or the security zone as long as there are jihadist threats to the State of Israel,” Katz said, according to the statement.

Addressing Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, he added: “The message to the president of Syria is clear — when you wake up in the morning in the palace in Damascus and look up at Mount Hermon and see the IDF (army), you know that we are here to defend our communities and our border.”

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