JERUSALEM (Agencies) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday (Dec 9) that the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel for almost 60 years, would remain Israeli "for eternity".
Speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem, Netanyahu thanked US President-elect Donald Trump for recognising Israel's 1981 annexation of the territory during his first term and said "the Golan will be part of the State of Israel for eternity".
Israel captured most of the mountainous plateau from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and has occupied it ever since, repelling a Syrian attempt at reconquest in the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.
Netanyahu said that Israeli control of the high ground "ensures our security and sovereignty".
Since rebels entered Damascus, toppling Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, Israel has struck sites in the country, including bombing at least three major Syrian army air bases on Monday.
Israeli officials said those airstrikes would carry on for days to keep Assad's former arsenal of heavy weapons out of hostile hands.
Over the weekend, Netanyahu ordered troops to move into a UN-patrolled buffer zone and beyond, after Assad's ousting.
The United Nations and Israel's neighbours denounced the move, with a UN spokesman on Monday saying Israel's actions were "a violation" of the 1974 disengagement agreement between Israel and Syria.
Saudi Arabia added Israel's seizure of a buffer zone in the Golan Heights would "ruin Syria's chances of restoring security".
But Israel told the UN Security Council that it was not intervening in Syria's conflict and had taken "limited and temporary measures" solely to protect its security.
Netanyahu also said on Sunday that the collapse of the Assad government and the Syrian army abandoning its posts had invalidated the agreement.
Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Monday said the takeover of the buffer zone was "a limited and temporary step we took for security reasons".
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller voiced understanding of Israel's actions which, he said, "are not permanent" and "ultimately, what we want to see is lasting stability between Israel and Syria, and that means we support all sides upholding the 1974 disengagement agreement".