Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, for his “illegal entry” into Syria.

According to a statement published by Saudi Arabia’s official news agency, Netanyahu’s trip on Wednesday to the occupied areas of Syria is “a clear violation of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a flagrant breach of international law.”

The statement also emphasized the need to halt Israel’s incursions into Syrian territory and to adhere to the 1974 separation-of-forces agreement.

On Wednesday, Netanyahu, together with Israel’s defense minister Yisrael Katz, visited the occupied area of Jabal al-Sheikh and claimed that Israel has established an unprecedented “absolute control” over a section ranging from Jabal al-Sheikh to the Yarmouk River.

Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also called the visit an unlawful violation of the sovereignty of this country.