Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conducted a field visit on Wednesday to the buffer zone inside Syria, accompanied by a high-level delegation of security and military officials. Israeli media described the move as taking place amid stalled negotiations aimed at reaching a security agreement between Tel Aviv and Damascus under American sponsorship.
A statement from Netanyahu’s office said the accompanying delegation included War Minister Yisrael Katz, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, head of the Shin Bet security agency David Zini, deputy head of the National Security Council Gil Reich, Israel’s ambassador to the United States Yehiel Leitner, Northern Command chief Rafi Milo, and commander of the 210th Brigade Brigadier General Yair Blai.
Netanyahu began the visit by arriving at an advanced military post, where he inspected the border area and conducted a security assessment of the situation. He also met groups of regular army soldiers and reserve forces, praising their roles during the war and during what he called “security maintenance” operations in the area, before answering their questions in an open discussion.
According to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, the visit comes as Washington attempts to push forward a security agreement between the Israeli occupation and Syria, amid reports that the negotiations have reached a dead end.
According to the corporation, Tel Aviv rejected Syrian President Ahmad Al Shar’a’s request for a full withdrawal from all points seized by the Israeli army inside Syria after the fall of former President Bashar Al Assad’s regime.
Hebrew-language sources reported that Tel Aviv is prepared to withdraw from some of these positions only within the framework of a comprehensive peace agreement, not a limited security arrangement, a scenario that does not appear achievable at present.
Since the overthrow of the Assad regime in late 2024, the Israeli occupation army has intensified its airstrikes deep inside Syrian territory, targeting military sites, weapons depots, and vehicles. The attacks have resulted in civilian casualties and widespread destruction of Syria’s military infrastructure, despite Damascus affirming its commitment to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, which the Israeli occupation previously declared collapsed.
Tel Aviv continues its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights since the June 1967 war. Meanwhile, Damascus and Tel Aviv, under American mediation, are engaged in intermittent talks seeking new security understandings amid regional shifts following the fall of the previous regime.
