Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

As global jihadist groups have replaced Syrian army forces across the northern border, Israel is determined to keep out terrorists and other intruders through the construction of a security fence, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday at his weekly cabinet meeting.

Citing a recently completed section of a security fence along the southern border, Netanyahu highlighted the effectiveness of such efforts. “The result of building the fence is that we have completely stopped the entry of infiltrators into Israel. In the past seven months, no infiltrators entered Israel’s cities. Several dozen reached the fence each month and were taken to holding facilities. Not one infiltrator reached any community or city inside Israel.”

He continued, saying, “This was one of the largest engineering enterprises in the history of the State of Israel and I have directed that this team not be disbanded, but that it continue until the section in the area around Eilat is finished, which will occur in another few weeks, and even continue work along other borders, especially our border with Syria. We intend to erect an identical fence, with a few changes based on the actual territory, along the Golan Heights. We know that on other side of our border with Syria today, the Syrian army has moved away, and in its place, Global Jihad forces have moved in.”

Netanyahu concluded his remarks by saying, “Therefore, we will defend this border against both infiltration and terrorism, just as we are successfully doing on the Sinai border. I also submit to the Cabinet the fact that the Syrian regime is very unstable, that the question of chemical weapons here worries us and that we are coordinating our intelligence and readiness with the US and others so that we might be prepared for any scenario and possibility that could arise.”