Israel captured most of the plateau from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War, annexing it in 1981. Syria demands Israel withdraw but Israel refuses. Various peace efforts have failed.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken says U.S. officials have made direct contact with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. HTS’s leader condemned Israel’s incursion into Syria.

Israel plans to double the numbers of settlers in the occupied Golan Heights in Syria despite repeated calls to withdraw its troops from the land it seized after president Bashar al-Assad's ouster. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday it was necessary to strengthen Israel's presence in the Golan Heights because a "new front" had opened there since armed rebels wrested power from Mr Assad,

Benjamin Netanyahu had a long talk over the weekend with his “friend” Donald Trump about the hostages still being held by Hamas, the Israeli prime minister revealed in a video posted to social media on Sunday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that he had discussed the situation in Syria with US President-elect Donald Trump, reaffirming Israel's peaceful intentions in the region. "We have no interest in a conflict with Syria,