Washington DC - Israel's incursion into Syria beyond the illegally annexed Golan Heights following Bashar al-Assad's overthrow must only be "temporary," the US said Monday, after the United Nations said Israel was violating a 1974 deal.

"This is a temporary action that they have taken in response to actions by the Syrian military to withdraw from that area," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

"Now, what we want to see, ultimately, is that agreement fully upheld, and we'll watch to see that Israel does that."

Asked if the US was calling on its ally to pull out, Miller said the agreement reached after the 1973 Yom Kippur War "includes Israel's withdrawing to its previous position."

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He declined to set a timetable, pointing to the fast-changing situation on the ground in Syria.

"Israel has said that these actions are temporary to defend its borders. These are not permanent actions, and so ultimately, what we want to see is lasting stability between Israel and Syria, and that means we support all sides upholding the 1974 disengagement agreement," Miller said.

Israel also currently has troops in Lebanese territory and is still conducting a genocidal assault on Palestinians in Gaza.