US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks after a security briefing on Mount Bental, in the Golan Heights, Israel, Nov. 19, 2020. Photo: Patrick Semansky / Pool via Reuters.

Syria condemned US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to the “occupied” Golan Heights on Thursday in the “strongest language” and said it was a provocative act before US President Donald Trump leaves his post, state media said.

“The visit is a provocative move before the end of Trump’s administration and a flagrant violation of our sovereignty,” a government source was quoted on state media as saying.

Trump delighted Israel in 2019 by recognizing its sovereignty over the Golan — the strategic plateau Israel took control of from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War. In 1981, Israel annexed the Golan in a move that was not recognized internationally.