Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the country’s military to remain in the area of Syria’s Mount Hermon until at least the end of 2025, a source with knowledge of the matter told CNN on Wednesday.

Netanyahu says Israeli forces will stay in a buffer zone on the Syrian border until another arrangement is found "that ensures Israel’s security.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defence Minister Israel Katz visited forward positions of the Israel Army at the peak of snow-capped Mount Hermon. They were in Syria, beyond the demilitarised buffer zone agreed in the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu entered Syrian territory on Tuesday during a security tour of the buffer zone seized by Israel in the days since the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that he had a “very warm” phone call with US President-elect Donald Trump, during which they spoke about the need for Israel’s victory in its war on Hamas in Gaza.

Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, entered Syrian territory Tuesday and said Israeli troops would remain in the area

Israel's move into the buffer zone follows Syrian troops abandoning their positions in Quneitra province, part of the demilitarized area. Forces loyal to the Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) have consolidated control in parts of southern Syria, raising concerns about potential escalation near Israel's border.

The previously unannounced trip highlighted Israel’s expanded military presence across the de facto border with Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

During his visit to the Syrian side of Mount Hermon on Tuesday, Netanyahu was joined by Herzi Halevi, the military chief of staff, and other officials. Defense Minister Israel Katz said the Israelis would maintain their presence in the zone for an undermined period — and also signaled skepticism about HTS, which has its roots in Al Qaeda.

The past year brought deaths, regional conflict, indictments and more. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ends it having transformed his standing in Israel.

Ankara's growing military presence in Syria has led to a diplomatic clash between former allies Israel and Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has supported Hamas, even hinting at some sort of armed intervention.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israeli forces would remain in a buffer zone on the Syrian border, seized after Assad's ouster until a new security arrangement is in place. Speaking from Mount Hermon,