Khaberni - The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation announced today, Thursday, that the army aviation conducted an operational tour in the skies of Homs city in central Syria, to gather information.
Intensive flight of fighter jets
This came after media reported intensive fighter jet activity in the skies of Syria.
Local media confirmed that Israeli fighter jets penetrated southern Syrian airspace, passing through Quneitra and Mount Hermon to west Damascus, then to Homs and Hama governorates.
Also, Syrian television indicated that the squadron of the Israeli army aviation also approached Liwa Iskandrun northwards, penetrating areas over the western countryside of Hama and from the countryside of Lattakia and southern and eastern Idlib.
This development happened a few hours after the entrance of the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Wednesday, into Israeli-controlled areas in southern Syria.
Netanyahu said in a speech to the Israeli soldiers: "We attach great importance to our capacity here, both defensive and offensive, to protect our Druze allies, and above all to protect the State of Israel and its northern borders against the Golan Heights."
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation also mentioned that Netanyahu’s and Katz's tour in Syrian territories comes in the context of the American efforts to sign a security agreement between Israel and Syria.
The "Yedioth Ahronoth" newspaper mentioned that the tour aimed to assess the field conditions and monitor developments on the northern front.
On its part, Syria vehemently condemned the illegitimate visit made by the Israeli Prime Minister and the Ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs, and a number of officials to southern Syria, considering it a serious violation of the country's sovereignty and the unity of its territories.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates in a press statement confirmed that this visit represents a new attempt to impose an accomplished fact that contradicts relevant Security Council resolutions, and falls within Israel's policies aimed at entrenching its aggression and continuing its violation of Syrian territory.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Syria renews its firm demand for Israel's withdrawal from Syrian territories, affirming that all actions taken by Israel in southern Syria are null and void and have no legal effect according to international law.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his concern about the visit. The Jordanian Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the step, expressing "the Kingdom’s absolute rejection and strong condemnation of this serious violation that represents an infringement upon the sovereignty of an Arab state and a serious and unacceptable provocative escalation."
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported last Monday that negotiations with Syria had reached a deadlock.
It added that negotiations with Syria were frozen after a dispute over the withdrawal from southern Syria.
The Corporation also noted that Israel conditioned signing a "peace agreement" with Syria in exchange for withdrawal from the territories it occupies.
It continued that Israel is not interested in signing a "security agreement" but a "peace agreement" with Syria.
This comes after the Syrian President, Ahmed Al-Shar`, announced last week to the "Washington Post" that his country is engaged in direct negotiations with the Israeli side, and has made good progress toward reaching an agreement.
