DAMASCUS, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Syria's foreign affairs authorities on Wednesday condemned an "illegal" visit by senior Israeli officials to the country's south, calling it a serious breach of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In a statement, the Syrian side described the visit, which was made by the Israeli prime minister along with the defense and foreign ministers and other officials, as "a new attempt to impose a fait accompli" and violated U.N. Security Council resolutions.

The statement said any Israeli measures in southern Syria were "null and void" under international law and repeated Syria's demand for the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from its territory. It urged the international community to curb Israeli actions and press Israel to return to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.

Syria "will continue to defend its sovereignty and its rights until every inch of its land is restored," the statement said.

Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Israeli-controlled buffer zone in southern Syria on Wednesday. He was accompanied by Defense Minister Israel Katz, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and Army Chief Eyal Zamir.

The visit came hours after a court session in Netanyahu's corruption trial was canceled at his request because of a "security matter."

Israel expanded its hold over the Golan Heights after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad government in late 2024, taking control of the demilitarized buffer zone in violation of the 1974 agreement that set out the separation of forces.

Israeli incursions into southern Syria have increased over the past year, with residents reporting farmland seizures, forest destruction, civilian arrests, and new military checkpoints. Syria says Israel has carried out more than 1,000 airstrikes and over 400 cross-border raids in the south since December 2024. Enditem