Netanyahu calls for making southern Syria a demilitarized zone after recovering Israeli spying devices

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Thursday that he seeks to make southern Syria, including the Sweida province, a demilitarized zone, noting that his government is conducting communications to achieve this.

His statements come at a time when Israeli military activity in Syria is raising widespread American concern, as Democratic and Republican lawmakers emphasized that Israeli strikes in Syria are destabilizing.

Legislators, including Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairwoman Jeanne Shaheen, Republican Senator Joni Ernst, and Republican Representative Joe Wilson, issued a statement calling for Israel to immediately cease hostilities.

In contrast, the Syrian Ministry of Interior announced on Wednesday the securing of the Damascus – Sweida road in preparation for reopening it to transport and trade, after it was halted due to recent security events in the province located in the south of the country. The ministry confirmed that all recent steps to secure the road have been completed, which is one of the vital routes connecting the capital to Sweida.

Netanyahu's statements came after an Israeli operation in the Damascus countryside, which resulted in the recovery of highly advanced listening devices, which an Israeli official said were essential for Israel's security, adding that the forces were able to track the locations of the devices and retrieve them, despite being in Syrian sites for more than ten years.