Netanyahu: Israel will remain on Mt Hermon

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu entered Syrian territory Tuesday and said Israeli troops would remain in the area indefinitely, blurring the border with its northern neighbour.

- JERUSALEM

Israel will remain in the buffer zone on the Syrian border, seized after the ouster of Syria's President Bashar Assad, until another arrangement is in place "that ensures Israel's security", said Netanyahu.

The Israeli PM made the comments from the summit of Mount Hermon - the highest peak in the area - inside Syria, about 10 kilometers from the border with the Israel-held Golan Heights. He had travelled there with Defence Minister Israel Katz.

It appeared to be the first time a sitting Israeli leader had set foot that far into Syria. Netanyahu said he had been on the same mountaintop 53 years ago as a soldier, but the summit's importance to Israel's security has only increased given recent events.