The downfall of the Assad regime has triggered a significant military reaction from Israel, which has initiated airstrikes on military installations throughout Syria and for the first time in half a century, deployed ground forces into and beyond a demilitarized buffer zone.
On Tuesday, the Israeli military reported conducting approximately 480 strikes across Syria in the preceding two days, targeting many of the nation’s key weapon stockpiles. Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that the Israeli navy had successfully neutralized the Syrian fleet overnight, describing the operation as “a great success.”
Just a day prior, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu characterized the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime as “a new and dramatic chapter.”
“The disintegration of the Syrian regime is a direct consequence of the significant blows we have dealt to Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran,” he stated during an unusual press conference on Monday. “The axis has not vanished entirely, but as I promised – we are transforming the landscape of the Middle East.”
Israeli officials have expressed satisfaction over Assad’s downfall, as he was a close ally of Iran and permitted his nation to serve as a supply route for Hezbollah in Lebanon. However, there are concerns regarding the potential rise of radical Islamist governance in Syria, which shares a border with Israel in the occupied Golan Heights.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar informed reporters on Monday that Israel was targeting Syrian military sites containing chemical weapons and long-range missiles to prevent them from being seized by “extremists.”
“As for what the future holds, I cannot predict,” he remarked. “It is crucial at this moment to take all necessary measures concerning Israel’s security.”
A CNN team in Damascus reported hearing loud explosions during the early hours of Tuesday, marking a continuation of strikes that began over the weekend. According to the Syrian activist group Voice of the Capital, the overnight bombing campaign was described as “the most violent in Damascus in 15 years.”
The Israeli Air Force conducted a total of 480 strikes, with approximately 350 involving manned aircraft targeting airfields, anti-aircraft batteries, missiles, drones, fighter jets, tanks, and weapon production sites across Damascus, Homs, Tartus, Latakia, and Palmyra, as stated by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The remaining strikes supported ground operations aimed at weapons depots, military structures, launchers, and firing positions.
Additionally, the IDF reported that its naval forces targeted two Syrian naval facilities, where 15 vessels were docked, resulting in the destruction of numerous sea-to-sea missiles.
Photographs taken by AFP revealed extensive damage to military vessels at the Syrian naval port in Latakia, as well as destroyed Syrian military helicopters at the Mezzeh Air Base located southwest of Damascus.
In the meantime, several Arab nations have accused Israel of taking advantage of the instability in Syria to expand its territorial claims. The Arab League stated that Israel was “capitalizing on the developments in the internal situation in Syria,” while Egypt remarked that these actions “represent an exploitation of the state of fluidity and vacuum… to occupy more Syrian territories.”
Israeli Military Operations Beyond the Buffer Zone
Nadav Shoshani, a representative of the Israeli military, refuted claims that forces were “advancing toward” Damascus, while confirming their operations in Syria beyond the designated buffer zone. The Israeli military maintains that it is not involved in Syria’s internal affairs.
In a statement released on Monday, Katz indicated that Israel is establishing a “security zone devoid of heavy strategic weapons and terrorist infrastructures” in southern Syria, extending “beyond the buffer zone.”
On Tuesday, Voice of the Capital reported that Israeli forces had moved as far as Beqaasem, approximately 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) from the Syrian capital and several kilometers past the buffer zone’s Syrian side. CNN has not been able to independently verify this information, but the village is located in the Syrian foothills of Mount Hermon, which Israeli forces captured on Sunday. Mount Hermon is a strategically significant area situated at the intersection of Syria, Lebanon, and the Golan Heights.
Israeli ground forces entered Syrian territory following Prime Minister Netanyahu’s order on Sunday to take control of the demilitarized “area of separation” between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and the rest of Syria. This zone was established in 1974 after Israeli forces captured the Golan Heights in response to a Syrian attack in 1967. Although Israel annexed the territory in 1981, it is still regarded as occupied Syrian land under international law.
Israeli officials have not disclosed specifics regarding the extent of the military’s advance or the duration of their presence. Danny Dannon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, informed the Security Council in a letter on Monday that the country had “temporarily deployed at a few points.” He characterized these actions as “limited and temporary measures to counter any further threats to its citizens.”
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