Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that Israel will maintain its military presence in a buffer zone in southern Syria, insisting that Israeli forces will remain there as long as what he described as jihadist threats to Israel persist.

Speaking during a visit to the area, Katz said Israel had no intention of withdrawing from Mount Hermon or the security zone established in southern Syria, signaling that the Israeli military presence would continue despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to shape Syria’s postwar security arrangements.

“We will not move from Mount Hermon and the security zone as long as there are jihadist threats to the State of Israel,” Katz said.

He also delivered a direct warning to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, linking Israel’s continued presence on the strategic mountain to what he described as Israel’s responsibility to protect its communities and border.

“The message to the president of Syria is clear — when you wake up in the morning in the palace in Damascus and look up at Mount Hermon and see the IDF, you know that we are here to defend our communities and our border,” Katz said.

Israel seized the Syrian-controlled side of the Golan Heights in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed the territory in 1981, a move not recognized by most of the international community. Following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, Israeli forces expanded their presence beyond the previously established separation line in southern Syria, saying the move was necessary to prevent armed groups from threatening Israeli territory.

Katz also referred to an Israeli airstrike last week on a Syrian airbase, saying Israel had acted to prevent Turkey from establishing a military foothold in Syria that could threaten Israeli security.

“Israel acted against a Turkish attempt to establish itself in Syria, while putting Israel’s security interests at risk,” Katz said.

“We made this clear and will stand by it in the future as well,” he added.