Israel Prime Minister demands 'complete demilitarization' of southern Syria

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel will maintain an indefinite military presence at the peak of Mount Hermon and in the buffer zone along the Syrian border.  Netanyahu called on Syria's new government to implement a "full demilitarization" of southern Syria.

He also warned that Israel "would not permit" forces affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a militant group led by Syria's interim President or the new Syrian army to enter the area south of Damascus. 

In December, following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government, Israel deployed ground forces into the buffer zone, a demilitarized area between the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights and Syria. 

The buffer zone is monitored by the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, which was established under the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement. Israel later captured the Syrian-controlled side of Mount Hermon.