Israel, which launched airstrikes on critical targets in Syria during the transition following the overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad government, has initiated a ground invasion in southern Syria.
Al Mayadeen, a Lebanese-based media outlet, reported that Israeli tanks crossed Quneitra in southern Syria and reached within three kilometers of the town of Qatana, approximately 20 kilometers from the outskirts of Damascus. Separately, reports claimed that the Israeli army captured several villages south of Damascus.
Two days ago, the Israeli military entered the buffer zone in the occupied Golan Heights, a region Israel has held since 1967.
In 1974, Israel and Syria signed the Withdrawal of Forces Agreement, which established the borders of the buffer and demilitarized zones. Despite this agreement, tensions in the area remain high.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained that the Golan Heights, which are internationally recognized as Syrian territory, will remain “an integral part of Israel forever.”
“Today, everyone understands the importance of our presence in the Golan, not on its outskirts,” Netanyahu stated, asserting that Israel’s military presence in the region guarantees the country’s “security and sovereignty.”
U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller described the Israeli military’s entry into Syrian territory beyond the Golan Heights as a “temporary situation” necessitated by the region’s security vacuum.
Miller emphasized U.S. support for the 1974 Withdrawal of Forces Agreement. However, during Donald Trump’s presidency, the United States recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights in 2019, a decision that current President Joe Biden has not reversed.
Reports from the Israeli press reveal that Israeli warplanes have targeted more than 250 military sites within Syria in what has been described as “one of the largest airstrike operations in Israel’s history.”
According to Israeli Army Radio, airstrikes targeted military bases belonging to the old Syrian government, dozens of fighter jets, surface-to-air missile systems, weapons production facilities, and ammunition depots.
The Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper noted that Israel attacked all Syrian air bases for the first time in over 50 years.
Field sources reported that notable targets included the Scientific Research Center in the Barze district of Damascus, military helicopters at Aqraba Airport in Damascus, arms depots in Jamraya, and the Military Science and Research Centre, targeted 10 times previously.
Additional airstrikes hit the Scientific Research Centre in Masyaf, southwest of Hama, air defense systems in Latakia and Mina, and the Qamishli Military Airport in northeastern Syria.
