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.
He further emphasized: “In Syria, IDF forces will remain on Mount Hermon and in the buffer zone indefinitely to protect our communities and neutralize any threats.
We will not allow HTS (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham) forces or the New Syrian Army to enter the area south of Damascus.”
“As for Lebanon, we will continue to maintain a presence,” he added.
“We are holding strategic positions along our northern border inside Lebanon, facing our communities, until the Lebanese Army and government fulfill all their commitments under the agreement.”
Senior Israeli political sources assert that the war imposed on Israel by the “Axis of Evil” led by Iran is reshaping the Middle East.
In full coordination with the Trump administration, Israel is drawing lessons from Hamas’s surprise attack on Israeli communities near Gaza on October 7, 2023.
As a result, Israel is redefining its borders in Syria and Lebanon according to its security needs while strengthening ties with its Druze allies in Syria.
According to these officials, Israel will not return to the pre-October 7, 2023, reality.
The possibility of altering the borders with the Gaza Strip remains open, as the war is not yet over, and Israel must establish security arrangements along its southern border to ensure no further attacks originate from Gaza.
So far, the Arab world has not responded to the Prime Minister’s statements, nor has Syria’s new president, Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, aka Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, who has remained silent.
Senior political sources describe Israel’s new security policy as a strategic shift, particularly concerning Arab states with which it has no peace agreements, such as Syria and Lebanon.
Israel is preparing to counter threats to its security interests in the north due to regime changes in Syria and Turkey’s increasing involvement in the region.
Turkey, they argue, aims to dominate Syria much like Iran did under President Bashar al-Assad.
They further assert that post-Assad Syria will not be controlled by a single power but will remain a battleground for complex regional and international rivalries.
Although Turkey will play a central role in Syria, its influence will be constrained by a balance of power involving Russia—still maintaining military bases in Syria—along with Israel and the United States.
As a result, Syria’s future will depend on regional and international understandings.
Israel has already moved swiftly to establish its red lines in Syria to safeguard its vital security interests.
Israeli security officials highlight Netanyahu’s declaration that Israel will not allow the New Syrian Army to enter the area south of Damascus.
This declaration, they argue, reflects Israeli suspicion that the “New Syrian Army,” currently being formed, is primarily composed of jihadist militants from HTS.
Al-Jolani has unilaterally declared himself Syria’s new president without any electoral process.
Israel does not trust Al-Jolani, viewing him as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” who presents himself as a moderate while remaining a jihadist with an unchanged ideology, now seeking to consolidate power with Turkey’s backing.
According to security sources, Israel intends to strengthen its alliance with the Druze in southern Syria—a community of approximately 800,000 people living in Sweida in the Jabal al-Druze region, which possesses an armed military force.
Strengthening this alliance serves Israel’s security interests and further reinforces the “blood alliance” between Israel and its Druze community.
