The Golan Heights will forever remain an integral part of Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday.
Israel is actively strengthening its defenses on the Golan Heights amid the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the capture of a significant part of the country by armed opposition forces. On Sunday, Netanyahu said the agreement reached shortly after the 1973 Yom Kippur War (also known as the Ramadan War) was no longer valid because the Syrian forces had left their positions. Netanyahu ordered the Israel Defense Forces to occupy the buffer zone.
"The Golan Heights will forever remain an integral part of Israel," Netanyahu told a press conference.
The fall of al-Assad in Syria was a direct result of Israeli strikes against the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah and Iran, the Israeli prime minister added.
The Golan Heights is significant due to its strategic military advantage, as it overlooks northern Israel and southern Syria, and its water resources. Peace talks have occurred intermittently, but the status of the Golan Heights remains a contentious issue between Israel and Syria.
On Sunday, Syrian armed opposition groups took control of Damascus. Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali announced that he and 18 other ministers chose to stay in the capital. The PM also mentioned he was communicating with leaders of the militant groups that had entered the city. Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that President Bashar Assad resigned and left Syria following discussions with certain participants in the conflict.