Israeli Defence Minister Yisrael Katz announced Tuesday that Israeli forces will stay on Mount Hermon to strengthen regional security and continue what he called the “protection” of Druze communities in Syria. Writing on social media, Katz linked the move to lessons from the October 7 attacks, saying the army’s presence on the strategic peak was essential to shield Golan Heights and Galilee residents from threats across the Syrian border. His statement coincided with renewed meetings between Syrian and Israeli officials in Paris on the future of the 1974 disengagement agreement.

Katz emphasized that Israel would not withdraw from Mount Hermon or adjacent security zones, underscoring what he described as a duty to prevent threats from Syria. “We will also continue to protect the Druze in Syria,” he wrote, citing unrest in Suwayda province, where clashes earlier this summer killed hundreds. Israel had carried out air raids under the pretext of defending Druze communities, while also targeting Syrian government and allied tribal fighters.

Syrian-Israeli Meetings In Paris

Last week, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani met with an Israeli delegation in Paris for the second time in a month. The talks focused on reactivating the 1974 disengagement agreement, which created a UN-supervised buffer zone in the Golan Heights. Israel had declared the accord void earlier this year after pushing forces into southern Syria beyond the buffer. The Paris meetings followed a U.S.-brokered ceasefire announced on July 19 between Syria and Israel, amid escalating violence in Suwayda and Israeli incursions in Quneitra province.

The exchanges occur against the backdrop of Syria’s political transition, following the December 2024 collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime after 24 years in power. The new government under Ahmad al-Sharaa has pledged to restore stability but has not directly threatened Israel. Despite this, Israeli air raids have continued across Syria, hitting military sites, vehicles, and stockpiles. Israel also seized the Syrian buffer zone after Assad’s fall, declaring the 1974 disengagement deal defunct.