Israeli soldiers found stockpiles of weapons at the peak of Mount Hermon, an area that the Syrian army had held since the IDF withdrew after the Yom Kippur War, the IDF said on Sunday.
During an operation that concluded in recent weeks, troops from the 810th “Mountain” Brigade searched military structures and key terrain points, locating, confiscating and destroying weapons caches and intelligence assets. Mines, explosives, anti-tank missiles, rockets and launchers were among the weapons found.
Israeli forces have been positioned inside the Golan buffer zone and at the peak of Mount Hermon since jihadist rebels overthrew the Assad regime in early December.
Ahmed al-Sharaa, head of Syria’s Sunni Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group and the country’s de facto leader, has asked the United States to pressure Israel to withdraw from the Golan buffer zone and the peak of Mount Hermon.
Moreover, al-Sharaa, also known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani, asked the Biden administration for humanitarian aid, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported on Friday.
Sources in Israel said that they did not receive any demand from Washington with regard to Syria, adding that the Jewish state will not compromise on its security, according to the report.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said Jerusalem would not allow another massacre to take place “on any front,” writing on X after a visit on Thursday to Israel Defense Forces troops serving on the border with Syria.
“Israel is closely monitoring the situation in Syria and will not jeopardize its own security. We will not allow another Oct. 7 [attack] on any front,” he tweeted.
