Benjamin Netanyahu is demanding Syria establish a "demilitarised zone" between the border with the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights and capital Damascus, as part of any possible peace deal with the new Syrian government.
The Israeli prime minister made the comments in a video statement released by his office after visiting Israeli troops injured in a raid inside Syrian territory last week.
Syrian state media reported at least 13 Syrians were killed in the attack in Beit Jinn, including women and children, while Israeli authorities said it was targeting terrorists from the Lebanese militant group Jama'a Islamiya.
"What we expect Syria to do, of course, is to establish a demilitarised buffer zone from Damascus to the buffer zone area, including, of course, the approaches to Mount Hermon and the summit of Mount Hermon," Mr Netanyahu said.
"We hold these territories to ensure the security of the citizens of Israel, and that is what obligates us.
"In a good spirit and understanding of these principles, it is also possible to reach an agreement with the Syrians, but we will stand by our principles in any case."
The comments followed a warning from the US President Donald Trump on Monday.
"It is very important that Israel maintain a strong and true dialogue with Syria, and that nothing takes place that will interfere with Syria's evolution into a prosperous State," he posted on his Truth Social platform.
Israel has held Syrian territory since late 2024 when the Assad regime was toppled by forces loyal to new Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, with Israeli troops and tanks pouring over the border into the area known as the "buffer zone" or "area of separation".
That roughly 235 square kilometre area was established in 1974 under a United Nations brokered ceasefire between Israeli and Syrian forces. It runs along the border of Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, seized in 1967, and is monitored by the UN peacekeeping mission UNDOF.
Israel has launched a number of strikes deeper into Syrian territory in the past year, including attacks on the capital Damascus and near the southern Swaida province — where Israel said it was working to defend the local Druze ethnic minority from sectarian violence.
The US president has been pushing for a deal between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Ahmed al-Sharaa as part of his grand vision for peace in the Middle East.
He has taken a shine to the former militant, despite concerns over his past links to extreme Islamic ideology.
He has lifted crippling economic sanctions on him after advocacy from the Turkish and Saudi Arabian governments, and even recently hosted President al-Sharaa in the White House.
The group al-Sharaa led before it was merged into the Syrian military, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), had been affiliated with al-Qaeda — but broke away from the organisation almost a decade ago.
HTS is still a proscribed terrorist organisation under Australian law.
Syria does not formally recognise Israel and most countries, including Australia, do not recognise Israel's territorial claim over the Golan Heights.
President Trump shifted the US stance on that issue during his first term in office, praised by the Israeli government in the process.
An Israeli settlement in the Golan was named Trump Heights in his honour.
