Syria Condemns Netanyahu's Entry Into Southern Territory, Calls His Continued Military Presence a "Flagrant Violation" of Sovereignty

According to France 24, the Syrian government on Wednesday condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's entry into Syrian territory, accusing the move of being "provocative and a flagrant violation of its sovereignty." Netanyahu visited Israeli forces stationed in southern Syria that day, and Syria characterized this action as a sovereignty violation.

According to France 24, since the fall of the long-ruling Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024, Israeli forces have been establishing and garrisoning a so-called "security zone" in southern Syria. This area had previously been a buffer zone patrolled by the United Nations since 1974, used to separate Israeli forces on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syrian forces. Israel's rapid entry and continued occupation of this zone after the collapse of the Assad regime means that this internationally supervised buffer arrangement has been effectively dismantled.

Syria's characterization of Netanyahu's visit as a "flagrant violation" at the sovereignty level, rather than merely a military-level border transgression, reflects its view of the current situation as a systematic erosion of territorial integrity. The Israeli prime minister personally traveling to southern Syria to inspect stationed troops carries political implications far beyond the scope of military redeployment. Israel's continued military presence after the fall of the Assad regime, along with the top leader's personal visit to the scene to make a statement, highlights the severe asymmetry of power between the two sides.