Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the Islamic Republic of Iran is on the verge of collapse during a visit to Israeli troops in southern Syria on September 9. The statement came amid escalating hostilities in the sixth month of the war in the Middle East.
“There is still a lot of work to do — the main task is to topple the terrorist regime in Iran. We are very close to it. We know that the entire axis will eventually collapse,” Netanyahu noted while on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon alongside Minister of Defense Israel Katz.
The situation in the “security zone”
Israeli forces have been present in a so‑called “security zone” in southern Syria since the removal of longtime leader Bashar al‑Assad in December 2023. This territory was previously a buffer zone patrolled by UN forces, which had separated Israeli and Syrian troops on the occupied Golan Heights since 1974.
On September 9, Netanyahu reiterated that Israel “will not allow any terrorist army to establish itself on our border.” Two weeks earlier, Minister of Defense Israel Katz also visited these positions, drawing condemnation from Damascus, which labeled the move a “flagrant violation of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Military activity and diplomatic stalemate
Following the removal of Bashar al‑Assad, Israel has conducted hundreds of strikes across Syria and carried out repeated incursions. Israeli officials say they intend to keep troops in the “security zone” while pushing for a broader demilitarized area there.
Netanyahu‘s remarks came against the backdrop of a stalemate between Tehran and Washington over the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Over the past week, the sides have exchanged strikes, occurring in the sixth month of the war that the US and Israel launched against the Islamic Republic in late February. AFP
Source: The Straits Times
