Israel says military action in Syria driven by security needs, not territorial ambition

UN ambassador warns of extremist factions rebuilding military infrastructure close to Israeli communities

An Israeli soldier stands at a lookout in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights, overlooking southern Syria.AFP

Israel said on Thursday that its military action in Syria is driven by security needs and the prevention of threats from militants, not territorial ambition.

Since the fall of former Syrian president Bashar Al Assad in December 2024, Israel has conducted hundreds of air strikes on Syrian military assets and expanded control over the Golan Heights. But deputy Israeli UN ambassador Jonathan Miller said the operations were a response to the resurgence of armed extremist groups near its border.

“We have seen organised terrorist cells, foreign-built weapon systems and the consolidation of hostile forces in southern Syria. We have acted, and we will continue to act,” Mr Miller told the UN Security Council. “Our actions are guided not by ambition of expansion, but purely by necessity, security and prevention."

He said extremist factions were rebuilding military infrastructure close to Israeli communities, including rocket launchers and tunnels.

Mr Miller said the groups are "committed only to destruction, terror and the annihilation of our nation. Israel cannot and will not allow this to happen".

He also highlighted risks to Syria’s Druze minority, who Israel has historically supported, saying extremist expansion threatens their safety.

Israel increased air strikes last week in Syria, describing it as a warning to the newly formed government in Damascus. It has also accused Turkey of trying to turn Syria into a protectorate.

Turkey is a key backer of the Islamist-led coalition led by Ahmad Al Shara that toppled the Assad regime late last year. Israel fears that if Turkey establishes a military presence in Syria, it could hamper the Israeli air force’s freedom of action in the region.

France’s ambassador to the UN, Jerome Bonnafont, reiterated his country’s appeal for Israel to end its military activities in Syrian territory and to withdraw from occupied lands as agreed to in the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.

US charge d’affaires Dorothy Shea told council members that Washington is aware ISIS and Al Qaeda continue to plot and conduct attacks within Syria.

“And we know Hezbollah and other Iran-backed terrorists are trying to regain a foothold in Syria to threaten Israel and other regional states. And we know that terrorists – both Syrian and foreign – were complicit in last month’s atrocities in western Syria,” Ms Shea said. She was referring sectarian violence that killed hundreds of members of the Alawite community in the coastal region.

“In this context, Israel has an inherent right of self-defence, including against terrorist groups operating close to its border,” Ms Shea said.