Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Syrian border on Wednesday, where he released a statement on his commitment to defending Israel from border incursions and the defeat of Iran.
"We will not allow any terror army to establish itself on our border.... We are committed to defeating the terror regime in Iran - and we will do it," the prime minister said, overlooking Syria from the top of Mount Hermon.
"On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, we are at the summit of the Hermon, the crown of the Hermon. Damascus is here, Lebanon is there, the Syrian Golan Heights is over there, and we control the entire area from the crown of the Hermon to the Yarmouk, and from here to the Mediterranean Sea - absolute control the likes of which have never been seen before," Netanyahu said.
"We will not allow any terror army to establish itself on our border, and this is one of the monumental achievements we have secured in the War of Revival," he added.
"From these peaks, there is still work to be done - the primary job is to defeat the terror regime in Iran. We are very close to it. We know that the entire axis will ultimately collapse," he said, before wishing a "Happy New Year to the citizens of Israel and to our heroic soldiers who are doing the work here."
Netanyahu joined by Defense Minister Katz, military officials
Netanyahu was joined by Defense Minister Israel Katz and Deputy Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Tamir Yadai during his tour of the area, where he received an operational briefing from Northern Command Chief Maj.-Gen. Rafi Milo and 210th Division Commander Brig.-Gen. Yair Peli.
Katz spoke about tensions with Syria, saying, "We are sending a very strong and clear message to the President of Syria sitting 35 kilometers away down there in the palace in Damascus: We are here on Mount Hermon, we are in the security zone, and we are not moving from here - in order to defend against threats from any jihadist element on this side of the border and within Syria itself."
Threats of Iran, regional proxies launching coordinated attack on Israel
These comments by the prime minister come shortly after assessments by the Israeli establishment came out, saying that Iran is reportedly preparing for a broad, coordinated attack against Israel on several simultaneous fronts in a scenario resembling an October 7-style assault.
According to the assessments, Iran is seeking to combine its forces with Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and the West Bank, the Houthis in Yemen, and pro-Iranian militias in Iraq in a single unified offensive.
Recent developments on the Syrian front
The IDF maintains a buffer zone with Syria, holding positions on Mount Hermon and the surrounding high ground, often launching patrols, searches, and raids into Syrian territory as defensive measures.
Last month, multiple incidents occured wherein the IDF struck Syrian territory.
Israel carried out strikes on the Abu al-Duhur military airfield in northwestern Syria, causing US Envoy to Iraq and Syria Tom Barrack to condemn the attacks as an unnecessary escalation that threatens regional stability.
"Israel and Syria agreed to a status quo in security matters, which Syria was on the verge of breaching by permitting Turkish troops to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo," the Prime Minister's office rebutted.
Additionally, on August 22, the IDF killed a terrorist who was in the "final stages" of preparing an attack against Israeli soldiers, according to the military.
On Wednesday, at least 14 people were killed, and 11 were wounded in an explosion at a weapons depot near the Syrian city of Sarmada in Idlib, according to state television.
It is not yet clear what the cause of the explosion was.
Additionally, a Syrian civilian managed to reach the vicinity of an IDF post in the southern Golan Heights. Authorities detained him and transferred him for questioning.
Anna Barsky, Shir Perets, and Reuters contributed to this report.