The Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Herzi Halevi, said that all actions of the Israeli army in Syria are aimed solely at ensuring the security of Israel, the army press service reported.
He said that Israel does not interfere in what is happening in Syria, but "it is definitely involved in ensuring the security of Israeli citizens living in communities in the Golan Heights".
„We are here to protect the Golan Heights, the northern Golan and Mount Hermon. Syria was an enemy state, its army is in chaos and there is a real threat that terrorist elements will try to establish themselves near our border. We are acting decisively to prevent the accumulation of extremist groups near us,“ Halevi said.
Halevi's comments followed a statement by the leader of the armed groups that came to power in Damascus, Ahmed al-Sharaa (known by the nickname Abu Muhammad al-Julani). He said that Israel no longer has any justification for its presence in Syria.
Earlier, Al-Sharaa called on the international community to stop the “Israeli escalation” in Syria.
“Israel's arguments have become weak and do not justify its latest violations“, Al-Sharaa said, pointing out that Israel violated the demarcation line with Syria in the Golan Heights.
The international community "must intervene and take responsibility for this escalation", said the leader of the new Syrian authorities, emphasizing "the importance of controlling the situation in the region and respecting Syrian sovereignty".
Israeli and Jordanian military and security officials held secret talks on December 13 to coordinate their actions regarding the situation in Syria. This was reported on Saturday by the Axios portal, citing its sources.
According to them, the parties discussed the situation in Syria and Israel's and Jordan's interaction with the groups currently forming a transitional government. The meeting raised the issue of the growing threat of arms smuggling into the West Bank, which could lead to an escalation of the situation in the Palestinian territories.
Israel and Jordan, which border Syria, have said they want to work together to address shared security concerns.
Jordan is the main mediator between Israel and Syrian groups, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.