Israeli forces should remain in Syria as a buffer between “jihadist enemies and the residents of the Galilee and the Golan,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said during a visit to the north on Tuesday.

“Our role is to defend the citizens of Israel against every threat—and that is what we will do,” Katz declared after he received an intelligence and operational briefing at the Israel Defense Forces Northern Command base in Safed.

Katz “praised the offensive activity of the command’s personnel across the various arenas ” during the meeting, which also included IDF Deputy Chief Staff Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai, OC Northern Command Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo and other commanders.

After the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, the IDF seized control of parts of southern Syria , expanding a

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