Israel Katz: We have a strong commitment to Druze in Syria

Defense Minister Israel Katz revealed today (Thursday) that the Air Force drove off Syrian government forces trying to establish themselves in southern Syria, during a speech at the Israeli Regional Government Center.

Defense Minister Katz said that "Two days ago, the new regime in Syria attempted for the first time to man positions and outposts in southern Syria—the Air Force struck and hit."

He then added: "We have a great commitment to our Druze friends in Syria. We are considering allowing those nearby to come and work in the Golan Heights on a daily basis and are preparing to provide them with assistance through organizations and various means."

Katz also noted the American administration's stance on the IDF's presence at key strategic points in Lebanon: "We have received a green light from the U.S. to remain indefinitely in the buffer zone in Lebanon."

Katz also said that if they "just open Gaza, and you'll see hundreds of thousands of people wanting to leave. We are preparing to make this happen."

The Defense Minister has already ordered the establishment of an administration responsible for managing the voluntary relocation of Gazans to other countries, which will work with the IDF and other government ministries to facilitate the population movement.

While Trump's plan speaks of permanent relocation, and does not make such relocation dependent on whether the Gazan relocation is voluntary or not, both Katz and Netanyahu have repeatedly insisted that only Gazans who truly wish to move should be helped, not forced. Also, neither Katz nor Netanyahu have stated that any who move would be barred from moving back, something Trump has insisted upon.

A man who more closely aligns with Trump's original intentions is Otzmah Yehudit leader Itamar Ben-Gvir. Ben-Gvir not only supports the idea of helping Gazans to voluntarily relocate, his party has put forward a law proposal which would both help relocation and penalize those who wish to return.