Golan Heights 'a central part of Israel', Pompeo says

Mike Pompeo has become the first US secretary of state to visit the occupied Golan Heights.

Israel seized the strategic plateau from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed it. In 2019, under President Donald Trump, the US became the first country to recognise Israeli sovereignty over it.

Standing beside Israel's foreign minister on a hilltop overlooking the frontier with Syria, Mr Pompeo stated: "This is a part of Israel and a central part of Israel."

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