Israel Defense Forces troops from the 55th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade were recently called up for duty and are now operating defensively in southern Syria under the command of the 210th “Bashan” Division.
The paratroopers are carrying out “proactive defensive missions” aimed at protecting Israeli civilians, particularly residents of the Golan Heights, the IDF said on Friday.
As part of their activity, the troops completed a search operation in which they located weapons, including rocket parts and RPG missile components. All of the items found were dismantled, the IDF said.
The military added that the division’s troops remain deployed defensively in the area.
The IDF may need to defend itself or strike “at any moment” in the security zone in southern Syria, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a visit to the area with other top officials on Wednesday.
“We attribute enormous importance to our defensive and offensive ability here; it’s a mission that could develop at any moment,” Netanyahu said.
The officials who accompanied Netanyahu included Defense Minister Israel Katz, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) Director David Zini and Yechiel Leiter, ambassador to the United States.
Earlier this week, Israel’s Kan News public broadcaster cited officials in Jerusalem as saying that talks for a renewed security arrangement with Damascus were at an impasse.
Israel reportedly rejected Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s demands for a complete IDF withdrawal from all territory it captured in Syria in the wake of the fall of President Bashar Assad’s regime in December 2024.
“We are engaged in direct negotiations with Israel, and we have gone a good distance on the way to reach an agreement. But to reach a final agreement, Israel should withdraw to their pre-December 8 borders,” al-Sharaa told The Washington Post in an interview published on Nov. 10.
After the fall of the Assad regime, Israel seized control of parts of southern Syria, expanding a security zone and maintaining a military presence amid ongoing clashes and airstrikes.
Netanyahu on Sept. 22 dismissed reports that Jerusalem was willing to give up the buffer zone in Syria as part of a security deal.
Talks with the Syrians are focused on “a security arrangement in which they demilitarize southwest Syria, and we ensure the security of our Druze allies in Jabal al-Druze,” the “Mountain of the Druze” region in southern Syria, the Israeli leader said.
