DAMASCUS — Damascus condemned a trip Wednesday by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials to Syria's south, where they visited troops deployed in a buffer zone intended to separate the two countries' forces.

 

Syria "condemns in the strongest terms the illegal visit... considering it a serious violation of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity", the foreign ministry said in a statement, calling it "a new attempt to impose a fait accompli that contradicts relevant Security Council resolutions".

 

Netanyahu visited Israeli troops deployed in Syria beyond a ceasefire line on Wednesday, an Israeli government spokesman told AFP.

 

Netanyahu was accompanied by foreign minister Gideon Saar, defence minister Israel Katz, the army's Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and the head of the Shin Bet security service David Zini, the spokesman said.

 

Netanyahu told Israeli troops deployed in Syria in a buffer zone intended to separate the two countries' forces that their presence was hugely important for safeguarding Israel.

 

"We attach immense importance to our capability here -- both defensive and offensive," Netanyahu said in a video released by his office, adding: "This is a mission that can develop at any moment, but we are counting on you."

 

Since the overthrow of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in December, Israel has kept troops into a UN-patrolled buffer zone in the Golan Heights separating Israeli and Syrian forces.