Israeli military launches airstrikes on facilities it identifies as military bases and command centers.
The Israeli military has carried out air strikes targeting locations it identified as military bases and command centers in southern Syria and near the capital, Damascus.
According to residents, security officials, and Syria TV, Israeli warplanes struck the town of Kisweh, situated approximately 20km (12 miles) south of Damascus, as well as locations within the southern province of Deraa late on Tuesday.
The Israeli army stated that it targeted “military objectives in southern Syria, including command centers and multiple weapon storage sites,” without providing precise locations.
Inhabitants of Damascus reported hearing aircraft flying low over the city and a series of explosions.
Defence Minister Israel Katz’s spokesperson declared in a statement, “The Air Force is strongly engaging in southern Syria as part of our outlined policy to pacify southern Syria, sending a clear message: we will not permit southern Syria to become similar to southern Lebanon.”
The statement further asserted, “Any attempt by Syrian regime forces and the nation’s terrorist organizations to establish a presence in the security zone of southern Syria will be met with force.”
Hours prior to the bombardment, Syria denounced Israel’s incursion into its southern region and demanded a withdrawal, as stated in the concluding statement of a national dialogue summit. The summit, organized by Syria’s new government, aimed to outline the country’s political future following the December ousting of President Bashar al-Assad.
Following al-Assad’s removal, Israel deployed troops into a United Nations-monitored demilitarized zone in Syria, violating the 1974 disengagement agreement with the country.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu advocated for the “demilitarization” of southern Syria, stating that Israel “will not allow the new Syrian army to enter territory south of Damascus.”
Hamas, a Palestinian group, vehemently condemned the air strikes, denouncing them as a “flagrant assault on Syrian sovereignty” and an extension of Israel’s aggression against Arab nations.
According to Qutaiba Idlbi, a resident senior fellow for Syria at the Atlantic Council, the attacks hamper Syria’s new administration’s efforts to reunify the nation.
Idlbi noted that the air raids occurred simultaneously with the national dialogue summit focused on Syria’s political transition, which already faces challenges, particularly in discussions with the Druze community in the south and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the northeast.
“The strikes on Damascus are only going to delay any potential agreement, as the powers in northeastern and southern Syria will feel more empowered to secure deals and possibly military support from external actors to enhance their bargaining power with Damascus,” Idlbi told Al Jazeera.
According to residents, security officials, and Syria TV, Israeli warplanes struck the town of Kisweh, situated approximately 20km (12 miles) south of Damascus, as well as locations within the southern province of Deraa late on Tuesday.
The Israeli army stated that it targeted “military objectives in southern Syria, including command centers and multiple weapon storage sites,” without providing precise locations.
Inhabitants of Damascus reported hearing aircraft flying low over the city and a series of explosions.
Defence Minister Israel Katz’s spokesperson declared in a statement, “The Air Force is strongly engaging in southern Syria as part of our outlined policy to pacify southern Syria, sending a clear message: we will not permit southern Syria to become similar to southern Lebanon.”
The statement further asserted, “Any attempt by Syrian regime forces and the nation’s terrorist organizations to establish a presence in the security zone of southern Syria will be met with force.”
Hours prior to the bombardment, Syria denounced Israel’s incursion into its southern region and demanded a withdrawal, as stated in the concluding statement of a national dialogue summit. The summit, organized by Syria’s new government, aimed to outline the country’s political future following the December ousting of President Bashar al-Assad.
Following al-Assad’s removal, Israel deployed troops into a United Nations-monitored demilitarized zone in Syria, violating the 1974 disengagement agreement with the country.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu advocated for the “demilitarization” of southern Syria, stating that Israel “will not allow the new Syrian army to enter territory south of Damascus.”
Hamas, a Palestinian group, vehemently condemned the air strikes, denouncing them as a “flagrant assault on Syrian sovereignty” and an extension of Israel’s aggression against Arab nations.
According to Qutaiba Idlbi, a resident senior fellow for Syria at the Atlantic Council, the attacks hamper Syria’s new administration’s efforts to reunify the nation.
Idlbi noted that the air raids occurred simultaneously with the national dialogue summit focused on Syria’s political transition, which already faces challenges, particularly in discussions with the Druze community in the south and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the northeast.
“The strikes on Damascus are only going to delay any potential agreement, as the powers in northeastern and southern Syria will feel more empowered to secure deals and possibly military support from external actors to enhance their bargaining power with Damascus,” Idlbi told Al Jazeera.
