JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Germany's likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz told Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu that he would invite him to Germany in defiance of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Israeli prime minister's office said on Monday.

German conservative leader and election winner Friedrich Merz intends to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for an official visit to Germany, despite an outstanding international warrant for his arrest,

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will not allow Syria’s new army or the insurgent group that led the ouster of former President Bashar Assad to “enter the area south of Damascus”

Israel on Sunday said it will not tolerate presence of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in southern Syria, nor any other forces affiliated with the country's new rulers, and demanded the territory be demilitarized.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that the military will remain in southern Syria for the foreseeable future. “In Syria, Israeli forces will remain stationed at the summit of Mount Hermon,” referring to Jabal al-Sheikh in the occupied Golan Heights.

Latest news as six hostages were released as part of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal but Palestinian detainees and prisoners were not.

Hamas says talks with Israel about further steps in the Gaza ceasefire deal are conditional on Palestinian prisoners being freed as agreed. Israel said on Sunday it was delaying the release of more than 600 Palestinians in return for six living and four dead hostages who had been freed,