**Netanyahu's Unprecedented Visit to Israeli-Controlled Syria Signals Military Expansion**

**In a significant and unannounced visit, Israeli PM Netanyahu reviewed military strategies in Syrian territories recently captured following the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad.**

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took an unexpected trip to military-controlled areas in Syria on Tuesday to meet with top military officials, signaling Israel's ongoing military engagement in the region. The details regarding whether Netanyahu visited newly seized territories or remained in those captured during the 1967 conflict remain unclear.

This visit follows the recent downfall of President Bashar al-Assad, which has emboldened Israeli forces to expand their presence across the de facto border. Israeli officials characterize these territorial acquisitions as essential for security, asserting their intent to stabilize the region. The situation has provoked backlash from the Syrian rebel factions, who have claimed control of Damascus and are working toward establishing a new governance structure.

Israeli forces reportedly secured vital positions in southwest Syria last week, including the strategic summit of Mount Hermon. Netanyahu, in his meeting on the Hermon ridge, discussed operational directives with Israel’s defense minister and military chief. His office suggested that Israel's military presence would persist until its security requirements are adequately addressed.

In addition to on-ground presence, Israel has sustained a series of airstrikes targeting Syrian military infrastructure, including naval and aerial assets. The Israeli administration maintains that these actions are necessary to protect its citizens in the Golan Heights—a region seized during the Arab-Israeli War and deemed illegally occupied by various international bodies.

Moreover, the Israeli government has greenlit an ambitious plan to expand settlements in the Golan Heights, potentially doubling the population of the area.

The recent military actions have drawn criticism, with Ahmed al-Shara, the head of the Syrian rebel coalition, stating that Israel’s maneuvers breach a long-standing 1974 armistice agreement. This scenario underscores the mounting difficulties for the new governance in Syria, as external military influences complicate the quest for territorial control.

In the wake of these developments, the ongoing conflicts in past battleground areas are further exacerbated by the presence of U.S. forces targeting entities affiliated with the Islamic State and renewed clashes between Turkish-supported Syrian factions and Kurdish groups backed by the U.S. Meanwhile, Russia remains entrenched, with its military bases continuing operations despite ongoing discussions about their future direction.

With multiple variables at play, the geopolitical landscape in Syria is growing increasingly complex following the fall of Assad, and Israel's assertive military strategy is likely to remain a focal point of tension in the region.