The recent collapse of the Assad regime in Syria has led to a significant military response from Israel, with airstrikes being carried out across the country and ground troops deployed into and beyond a demilitarized buffer zone established in 1974.
Reports from a Syrian activist group, The Voice of the Capital, suggest that Israeli forces have advanced as far as Beqaasem, approximately 25 kilometers from Damascus, and beyond the Syrian side of the buffer zone. While these claims have not been independently confirmed, the village is situated in the Syrian foothills of Mount Hermon, which Israeli forces captured recently.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he ordered the military to seize the demilitarized 'area of separation' between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and the rest of Syria. The Israeli military has denied reports of advancing towards Damascus but confirmed their presence within the buffer zone and at defensive points near the border to protect Israeli territories.
The Israeli defense minister revealed that the military had moved beyond the buffer zone, although the exact depth of their advancement into Syria remains undisclosed. Damascus residents reported hearing loud explosions during the early hours of Tuesday, indicating a continuation of the airstrikes that began over the weekend.
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stated that Israel's actions were aimed at preventing weapons from falling into the hands of extremists. The Voice of the Capital described the overnight bombing campaign as the most violent in Damascus in 15 years, with Israeli strikes targeting Syrian army centers, Iran-backed militias, strategic weapons depots, and armored battalions.
Visual evidence from Mezzeh Air Base southwest of Damascus showed destroyed Syrian military helicopters, while the Syrian naval base in Latakia, western Syria, also suffered significant damage from Israeli strikes. The situation remains tense as Israel continues its military operations in Syria following the recent political developments.
