Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Israeli troops deployed in southern Syria, drawing strong condemnation from the government in Damascus, which denounced the trip as a violation of sovereignty.
Israel expanded its military presence in southern Syria after the ousting of Bashar al-Assad last December, seizing positions east of a UN-patrolled buffer zone that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syrian territory.
Wearing a flak jacket and helmet, Netanyahu on Wednesday visited troops on Syrian territory, according to photographs published by his office. He reiterated Israel's commitment to protect Syria's Druze minority, whose community straddles the border into northern Israel, said Reuters.
"We attach immense importance to our capability here, both defensive and offensive, safeguarding our Druze allies, and especially safeguarding the State of Israel and its northern border opposite the Golan Heights," Netanyahu told the troops, according to a statement from his office.
"This is a mission that can develop at any moment, but we are counting on you," he said.
The government in Damascus said Netanyahu's visit was "a dangerous violation of Syrian sovereignty and unity," and called it an attempt to "impose a fait accompli."
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli government.
