Netanyahu: World 'Must Recognize' Israel's Sovereignty in Golan, No Iranian Presence

JERUSALEM, Israel – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran is attempting to establish a military presence on the border with Israel along the Golan Heights.

Netanyahu was speaking at the dedication of a restored 1,500-year-old synagogue on the Golan Heights. Israel captured the area from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War, developing and ultimately annexing it in December 1981.

"Israel on the Golan Heights is a guarantee for stability in the surrounding area," he told participants at the dedication. "Israel on the Golan Heights is a solid reality based on ancient rights. Israel on the Golan Heights is a fact that the international community must recognize and as long as it depends on me, the Golan Heights will always remain under Israeli sovereignty because otherwise we would have Iran and Hezbollah on the shores of the Sea of Galilee."

Golan Heights, Screen Capture

Netanyahu promised Israel would continue to act with determination against Iranian attempts to establish a military presence on the Golan Heights.

"Today we see what is happening over the border – Iran's attempts to establish a military presence and the aggression of terrorist fanatics. We will continue to stand strong and determined against all of these," he said, including attempts to transfer weapons to Hezbollah, the Iranian terror proxy headquartered in Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Photo, Screen Capture, AP

The prime minister said he would discuss these matters, including the security cooperation between the IDF and Russian military in his upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"I know that President Putin understands my commitment to the security of Israel, and I know that he also understands the importance that I ascribe to the Golan Heights, that we all ascribe to the Golan Heights and to the heritage of Israel," Netanyahu said.