Netanyahu Touts "Unprecedented" Control From Mount Hermon as Syria Balances Diplomacy, Detainee Releases, and UN Scrutiny
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Wednesday that Israeli forces hold "unprecedented" control over territory stretching from the summit of Mount Hermon in southwestern Syria to the Yarmouk River and the Mediterranean Sea, remarks delivered during a visit to troops stationed on the strategic peak.
"Damascus is here, Lebanon is there, and the Syrian Golan Heights are there," Netanyahu said, vowing Israel would never allow a "terrorist army" on its borders and calling the control one of the greatest achievements of what he termed the "War of Redemption." He was accompanied by Defense Minister Israel Katz and senior commanders. Katz had earlier warned Israeli forces "will not move from here" and accused Turkey of seeking a threatening foothold in Syria — tensions underscored by Israel's August 18 strike on Abu al-Duhur airbase in Idlib, which Netanyahu's office linked to a planned Turkish deployment near Aleppo.
Even as Israel consolidates its presence, it released three Syrian detainees Wednesday — Mohammad Qasim al-Mousa of Quneitra, held two months, and Kamal Yusuf al-Qasim and Raslan Adel Saeed al-Hassan of Daraa, each held one month. The Sijil Center, which documents Israeli violations, says 40 Syrians remain in Israeli custody, part of 1,752 recorded violations in Syria this year, including 267 in August alone. The releases coincided with an International Committee of the Red Cross visit to families of detainees in Quneitra and followed earlier releases in July and August amid recurring local protests.
On the diplomatic track, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani held talks in Ankara with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and U.S. Special Envoy Thomas Barrack. Al-Shaibani and Barrack discussed strengthening bilateral ties, with Barrack praising his counterpart as "tireless, clear-eyed, and serious about lowering the temperature" in the region. Al-Shaibani said Syrians deserve "every opportunity for peace, stability, and prosperity." Key files believed on the agenda include the Syrian-Israeli conflict, the Suwayda crisis, and the integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces. Details of the Fidan meeting were not disclosed, though both sides reviewed their High-Level Cooperation Council.
Meanwhile, the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria praised Damascus's "significant achievements" and cooperation while warning against "selective justice," urging equal accountability for perpetrators of 2025 violence on the coast and in Suwayda. It also raised alarm over deaths in detention, hate speech, and the plight of more than 2,000 people — mostly women and children — held at Roj camp in al-Hasakah, renewing calls for its immediate closure.