Is ‘war inevitable’? Chaos on the Golan during visit of US envoy Waltz highlights tensions between Israel & US over Syria

The already-tense relations between Israel and Syria were further tested on Tuesday, as U.S. Envoy Mike Waltz nearly became an eyewitness to clashes between Israeli soldiers and civilians on Syrian territory.

In addition, Israeli Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli made waves online with a controversial statement saying that war with Syria is “inevitable.”

Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, was touring Israel’s northern border region on Tuesday, accompanied by Israel’s UN envoy, Danny Danon.

As they returned to their vehicles after receiving security briefings within the ruins of Old Quneitra on the Syrian border, a riot broke out several hundred feet from their location. They were immediately informed but didn’t witness the clashes, according to Ynet News.

I toured Israel’s northern border today with the U.S. Ambassador to the UN, @michaelgwaltz, from Misgav Am to Quneitra. The threat posed by Iran and its proxies is clear and immediate.
In contrast to the propaganda and falsehoods presented at the UN, today we saw the reality on… pic.twitter.com/A6rGfxfiNB

— Danny Danon 🇮🇱 דני דנון (@dannydanon) December 9, 2025

Army Radio reported that IDF troops were on a routine operation to question terror suspects in the nearby village of Khan Arnabeh, which is around 5 km (3 miles) from the Israeli border.

The troops were violently confronted and encircled by a crowd at the outskirts of the village. Soldiers fired warning shots and two Syrians were reportedly hit in the lower body.

In another incident in the area on Tuesday, footage showed armed forces of the Syrian government in pickup trucks driving by Israeli soldiers. Media reports suggested that the area where the footage was filmed is outside the Israeli-held buffer zone.

The extra territory that Israel controlled behind the armistice line in the Golan doesn’t matter to anyone. It’s an excuse that Syria’s Islamists are now using to blame Israel for the build up in Syrian animosity toward Israel. That’s a lie. Islamists hate Israel anyway, and… https://t.co/54uvsFlHWy

— Hussain Abdul-Hussain (@hahussain) December 9, 2025

Footage from another incident also drew strong reactions in Israel, as videos from a military parade in Syria showed soldiers chanting anti-Israel slogans.

“Gaza, Gaza, this is the slogan – victory and steadfastness. I am coming for you, my enemy; from your blood I will make ammunition, and from your blood I will fill rivers,” was one slogan, and another, “Gaza, Gaza, Gaza is a symbol of conquest and destruction, day and night.”

Army Radio reported that Israeli security officials are discussing the significance of the footage, and that Israel is expected to convey strong messages of protest to the regime in Damascus.

“We deal with the Syrian regime with a ‘suspect and suspect again’ approach – we regard them with absolute suspicion. The nature of the regime is extremist and jihadist, and we have no illusions about them,” officials told Army Radio.

Chikli, who is known for his no-holds-barred online presence, commented on footage of the Syrian soldiers’ chants, saying, “War is inevitable.”

War is inevitable https://t.co/K65CIkTR1r

— עמיחי שיקלי - Amichai Chikli (@AmichaiChikli) December 9, 2025

The United States has been pressuring Israel to reach a security arrangement with the new regime in Damascus, which the Trump administration has sought to legitimize while pulling it into its regional alliance system.

Israel’s policy and statements expressing strong suspicions about the motivations of the Syrian regime – primarily composed of former Islamists who now ostensibly present themselves as having moderated – have been subject to controversial discussions between Jerusalem and Washington, as well as among regional experts.

Hussain Abdul-Hussain, Research fellow at the Foundation for Freedom of Democracies (FDD), wrote on 𝕏: “Islamists hate Israel anyway, and territory is not the issue.”

“The extra territory that Israel controlled behind the armistice line in the Golan doesn’t matter to anyone. It’s an excuse that Syria’s Islamists are now using to blame Israel for the build up in Syrian animosity toward Israel. That’s a lie.”

On the other hand, Seth Frantzman, an FDD adjunct fellow, wrote in The Jerusalem Post that Israel’s Syria policy “lacks a clear goal,” arguing it would provoke the threats it tries to prevent.

“Jerusalem has demanded that southern Syria be demilitarized. This means that those areas are a power vacuum of low-level chaos, which can lead to threats,” he wrote. “The more the IDF ends up chafing against civilians, the more likely it is that clashes will break out, unless some kind of entity can assist in deconflicting.”

During Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s recent historic visit to the White House, the U.S. lifted additional sanctions, while Syria announced it would join the anti-ISIS alliance.

Despite initial optimism, no agreement with Israel has been reached and Sharaa sharpened his tone toward Israel in recent weeks. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently said he wants to reach an agreement but vowed that Israel would stand firm on its security demands.

This includes the complete demilitarization of southern Syria, which has been strongly rejected by Syria, and was called into question by the footage showing heavily armed Syrian regime forces near Israeli soldiers.

On Tuesday, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) strongly denied reports by the Saudi news outlet Asharq Al-Awsat, which claimed Netanyahu had refused to sign an agreement that had been reached on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September.

“Absolute fake news. There were contacts and meetings organized by the US but no agreements and understandings with Syria were ever reached,” the PMO stated.