Israel instructs army to bolster its position inside Syria

Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said on Friday that he had instructed the military to prepare for winter and “set up appropriate facilities and make special preparations for the soldiers to remain on Mount Hermon” inside Syria.

The Israeli encroachment has been condemned internationally by Arab states from Egypt to Qatar, while the UN secretary-general on Thursday demanded that all parties end “all unauthorised presence in the area of separation”.