Katz toured positions on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon with senior Israeli military commanders, including Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai and Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo. Israeli military officials briefed him on operations in the area, according to statements released during the visit.

"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 said Israeli forces were conducting daily operations intended to prevent armed groups from establishing positions that could threaten Israeli communities near the frontier.

Addressing Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Katz said the Israeli military presence on Mount Hermon was intended as a visible warning that Israel would act to protect its border communities. His remarks reinforced Israel’s position that withdrawal is tied to its assessment of security conditions in southern Syria.

Syria’s Foreign Ministry condemned Katz’s entry, describing it as an illegal crossing of the international border and a "flagrant violation” of Syrian sovereignty and territorial integrity. The ministry said the visit violated international law, the United Nations Charter and the 1974 Disengagement Agreement governing the separation of Syrian and Israeli forces.

Damascus called for the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from Syrian territory and urged the international community to press Israel to halt what it described as repeated violations. Jordan also condemned Katz’s visit, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Fouad Majali describing the entry as an unacceptable escalation and reaffirming support for Syria’s territorial integrity.

Israeli forces moved into the U.N.-patrolled buffer zone and additional positions in southern Syria following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024. The deployments included the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, a strategically elevated position overlooking areas of southern Syria and the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.

The visit also came one week after Israel struck the disused Abu al-Duhur airbase in northwestern Syria. Israel said the operation was intended to prevent a potential Turkish military presence at the facility. Ankara disputed Israeli assertions surrounding an intended deployment, and Syrian officials said no permanent Turkish base was planned there.

The latest developments add pressure to efforts to reduce Israeli-Syrian tensions following recent U.S.-mediated contacts. The dispute over Israeli deployments remains a central obstacle: Damascus demands restoration of positions preceding December 2024, while Israel maintains that its military posture is necessary until it determines that threats along the Syrian frontier have been removed.