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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for the full demilitarization of southern Syria and pledged to protect the region’s Druze community, marking the first time he has publicly made such a demand since the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December.
Speaking at a cadet officers’ graduation ceremony in Beer-Sheva on Sunday, Netanyahu emphasized Israel’s stance on the security situation in southern Syria. “We demand the full demilitarization of southern Syria,” he declared. “We will not tolerate any threat to the Druze community in southern Syria.”
During his speech, Netanyahu also displayed a photograph of Shiri Bibas and her sons, Ariel and Kfir, whose remains were recently returned to Israel. Forensic experts confirmed they had been murdered, refuting Hamas’ claims that they were killed in an Israeli airstrike. “This picture says it all, and I ask that you engrave it on the tablet of your hearts so that we always remember what we are fighting for and who we are fighting against,” he stated.
“We will not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons”
Netanyahu condemned Hamas for what he described as brutal killings in the final days of the war. “They strangled the tender children with their own hands, and if they could, they would have murdered all of us with the same cruelty,” he said.Reaffirming Israel’s position on Iran, Netanyahu reiterated, “We will not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons.”
Following the collapse of Assad’s government, Israeli forces entered the 235-square-kilometer buffer zone, aiming to prevent Syrian rebels from advancing toward the Israeli border. Israel has also carried out multiple airstrikes targeting Syrian army assets and Iranian stockpiles to keep them out of the hands of radical Islamist groups.
Israel now considers the 1974 ceasefire agreement void until stability is restored in Syria. While the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) had previously made brief incursions into the buffer zone, the December operation marked the first time since its establishment that Israel set up military positions there. The demilitarized zone was originally created under a ceasefire agreement in 1974 following the Yom Kippur War.
The Israeli government’s latest stance signals a shift in policy regarding Syria, as tensions remain high in the region amid ongoing geopolitical instability.
(With ANI Inputs)
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