Yoni Ben Menachem
Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, Mar. 6, 2025
“Israel is redefining its borders in Syria and Lebanon according to its security needs while strengthening ties with its Druze allies in Syria.”
On February 24, 2025, protests erupted in southern Syria, with several hundred demonstrators rallying in multiple locations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent speech, in which he called for the demilitarization of the area south of Damascus.
The protesters chanted against Netanyahu and denounced any infringement on Syrian sovereignty.
A day earlier, on February 23, during a ceremony marking the completion of an officer training course—shortly after the funerals in Lebanon of Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah and his deputy Hashem Safi al-Din, who Israel assassinated—Netanyahu declared that IDF forces would remain stationed at various strategic locations in Lebanon and Syria.
“We demand the full demilitarization of southern Syria from forces loyal to the new regime. Additionally, we will not tolerate any threats to the Druze community in southern Syria,” Netanyahu stated…..SOURCE