Israel will 'forever' control Golan Heights: Netanyahu

By Enes Canli

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday declared that the occupied Golan Heights would “forever” remain under Israeli control.

At a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of a major security conference in Munich, Netanyahu declared that the Golan Heights would “remain in Israel’s hands forever.”

The Syrian Golan Heights has been under Israeli occupation since 1967.

Netanyahu also said Israel would not allow Iran to establish military bases in Syria -- a scenario, he said, that Israel would take action to prevent.

The prime minister’s assertions come amid mounting tension in the region.

Last Saturday, Israel claimed to have downed an Iranian drone over its territory. Shortly afterward, an Israeli F-16 was shot down over Syria.