Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for the disarmament of the provinces of Daraa, As-Suwayda, and Quneitra in southern Syria, and for the new Syrian administration not to enter these areas.

During a graduation ceremony for officers yesterday, February 24, he stated, “We will not allow (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham) or the new Syrian army to enter the area located south of Damascus, and we demand the removal of all weapons from Quneitra, Daraa, and As-Suwayda and prohibit the new ruling forces from entering.”

He added, “We will not allow any threat to the Druze community in southern Syria.”

Netanyahu reaffirmed previous statements that the Israeli army would remain in the Golan Heights and the buffer zone for an indefinite period, justifying this by stating it is necessary for the protection of Israeli towns and “to thwart any threat,” as he described.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz also commented, saying, “Our eyes are wide open to the entire region today, especially towards Syria.”

Katz added, “The Israeli army will not allow hostile forces to be stationed and present in the security zone in southern Syria, from here to Damascus, and we will act against any threat.”

He described the inhabitants of the southern region of Syria as “friends,” stating that Israel would work to strengthen its relations with them, particularly focusing on the Druze component in the area.

He said, “They (the Druze) are brotherly residents of our Druze brethren who are fighting alongside us in the State of Israel,” as Katz expressed.

A number of Druze people live in Israel, most of whom are from the occupied Golan Heights, and many of them hold Israeli citizenship due to their presence in the country.

On February 16 of this year, Netanyahu confirmed that Israel would not allow any threat to emerge from Syrian territories, emphasizing that his country would take necessary measures to protect its security.

Israel has been involved in southern Syria since the first moments of the fall of the previous Syrian regime on December 8, 2024, coinciding with the destruction of many military assets across various parts of Syria.

Israel continues to maintain a presence in several Syrian locations, surpassing the buffer zone, claiming it is protecting its internal security from any threats.

Satellite images revealed that the Israeli army has established seven military bases within the buffer zone in Syria, along the border with the occupied Golan.

The images show that the seven sites extend from the heights of Mount Hermon in the northern part of the buffer zone to Tel Qudna in the southern part, near the triangular border between Israel, Syria, and Jordan.

The images also depict the presence of Israeli army soldiers along the border with Syria, as reported by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz on February 18.

According to the Israeli newspaper, the seven locations are in Mount Hermon, the town of Hadar, Jubata al-Khashab, al-Hamidiyah, the city of Quneitra, al-Qahtaniyah, and Tel Qudna.

The report from the Israeli newspaper confirms that Israel is constructing new bases in Syria, in addition to completing the construction of bases that were started previously, according to a report by Enab Baladi’s correspondent on January 21.