Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to defeat Iran and prevent the establishment of terrorist armies on Israel’s border, speaking during a Wednesday visit to the “crown of Hermon,” the strategic high ground of Mount Hermon, a 9,232-foot (2,814-meter) mountain massif on the borders of Israel, Lebanon and Syria.
“We will not allow any terrorist army to establish itself on our border. We are committed to defeating the terrorist regime in Iran,” he said. “We are very close to it. We know that the entire axis will ultimately fall.”
Gazing out from an IDF outpost at the summit, Netanyahu said: “On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, we are atop Mount Hermon. Damascus is right here. Lebanon is right there. The Syrian Golan Heights are right there. And we control the entire area from the crown of the Hermon to the Yarmuk River [which forms part of the border between Syria and Jordan], and from here to the Mediterranean Sea—absolute control the likes of which has never been seen before.”
At the outpost, Netanyahu received a briefing on operational activity in the sector by the head of the IDF Northern Command Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo and 210th “Bashan” Division commander Brig.-Gen. Yair Palai.
Defense Minister Israel Katz joined the prime minister on his visit.
Katz said Israel’s position at the summit provided defense for the Golan Heights and the Galilee. From the heights, Israel could “keep an eye” on Hezbollah in Lebanon and send a “strong and clear message” to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, roughly 20 miles away in his palace in Damascus, he said.
“We have destroyed the enemy’s infrastructure in Gaza, in Lebanon, and here as well. IDF forces are working every night to thwart more infrastructure of jihadist forces in order to protect the Golan Heights, the Galilee and the State of Israel,” he said. “Iran is in the background. We hit it twice [in June 2025 and February 2026], and when we need to, we’ll cripple it a third time.”
Israel will continue to face all threats, from the Shi’ite axis led by Iran to the Sunni axis led by the Muslim Brotherhood, Katz said. “We will ensure the security of all the residents of the State of Israel.”
The prime minister and defense minister took the opportunity to wish the IDF and Israel’s citizens a happy Rosh Hashanah, which begins on Friday evening.
