JERUSALEM: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz made a rare visit to troops in southern Syria on Tuesday, reiterating a pledge to keep forces in the area as long as there were “threats” to his country’s security. The visit comes a week after Israel bombed the disused Abu Duhur base in northwestern Syria, claiming it wanted to prevent Turkish troops deploying to the facility. Ankara has denied any visit to the site. In southern Syria, Israeli forces have been stationed in a “security zone” since the fall of longtime ruler Bashar Assad in December 2024.

Defense minister, visiting troops, tells Syrian president 'when you wake up in Damascus and see IDF on Mount Hermon, know we’re here to defend our communities and border'

JERUSALEM: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz made a rare visit to troops in southern Syria on Tuesday, reiterating a pledge to keep forces in the area as long as there were…