Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will not allow Syria’s new army or the insurgent group that led the ouster of former President Bashar Assad to “enter the area south of Damascus” as his government made clear Israeli forces would stay in parts of southern Syria for an indefinite period.

In an address Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Syria’s new rulers should demilitarize the Quneitra, Daraa and Suwayda provinces.

Israel won’t allow forces of the new Syrian administration to enter territory south of Damascus, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday, lifting the veil on Israel’s long-term plans for its northern neighbor after the fall of the Bashar Al-Assad regime.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly called for the demilitarization of areas south of the Syrian capital Damascus. Netanyahu told graduating officer cadets he wanted the provinces of Kuneitra,

Hundreds protested the remarks as a prelude to ‘dividing Syria,’ while some welcomed ‘any helping hand for the Druze community.’