TEL AVIV, November 19. /TASS/. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the buffer zone in Syria, his office reported, adding that he was accompanied by Defense Minister Israel Katz and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today, visited the buffer zone in Syria, together with Defense Minister Israel Katz, Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa'ar, IDF Chief-of-Staff Lieutenant-General Eyal Zamir, ISA Director David Zini, National Security Council Acting Director Gil Reich, Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter and others," the statement said.

"At the start of the visit, the prime minister went to an IDF post where he observed the sector, and later held a security discussion," the document added.

According to the prime minister’s office, Netanyahu "also met with regular and reserve soldiers" at the army position and "praised their activity during the war and in maintaining security in the area."

In turn, the Kan broadcaster noted that the Israeli prime minister's visit to the buffer zone in Syria occurred amid US efforts to broker a security agreement between Israel and Syria. According to its information, the negotiations on this issue have reached an impasse. This is because Syrian transitional president Ahmed al-Sharaa is demanding the withdrawal of Israeli forces, but Tel Aviv is only willing to withdraw its troops from the buffer zone in southern Syria in exchange for a full peace agreement, not a security agreement, Kan reported, citing sources.

On November 16, Katz stated that Israeli troops would remain in the buffer zone along the border with Syria and on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon. In December 2024, the Israeli army deployed its forces in the buffer zone in southern Syria near the border following a change in leadership. At the same time, the Israeli military took control of the Syrian side of Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights without encountering resistance.

The Golan Heights had belonged to Syria since 1944 but were captured by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967. In 1981, the Knesset (the Israeli parliament) passed a law unilaterally declaring Israel's sovereignty over the territory. However, Resolution 497 of the UN Security Council, passed on December 17, 1981, declared the annexation invalid.