Israel Ramps Up Military Offensive Amid Syria’s Regime Collapse.
In a significant escalation of tensions, Israel has launched a wave of devastating airstrikes against key military targets across Syria, according to a report by the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The strikes, which have intensified since the collapse of the Assad regime in Damascus, have destroyed some of the most important military sites in the country, including airports, aircraft squadrons, radars, and weapons and ammunition depots.
The Observatory stated that “Israel destroyed the most important military sites in Syria, including Syrian airports and their warehouses, aircraft squadrons, radars, military signal stations, and many weapons and ammunition depots in various locations in most Syrian governorates.”
One of the targets was an air defense facility in the vicinity of the port city of Latakia, where Israel’s airstrikes also destroyed Syria’s naval ships and military warehouses.
The escalation of the conflict comes as Israel has taken advantage of the power vacuum left by the fall of the Assad government. On Sunday, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) captured a strategic Syrian Army outpost at the summit of Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has justified the move, stating that he had ordered the military to seize control of the demilitarized buffer zone on the border with Syria. Netanyahu claimed that a “disengagement agreement” between the two countries, in place for over 50 years, had collapsed, and that “Syrian forces have abandoned their positions.”
“I directed the IDF (military) yesterday to seize the buffer zone and the commanding positions nearby. We will not allow any hostile force to establish itself on our border,” Netanyahu said.
The developments underscore the rapidly shifting dynamics in the region, as Israel seeks to secure its borders and prevent any potential threats from emerging from the chaos engulfing Syria.
With the Assad regime’s grip on power crumbling, the stage is set for a prolonged and potentially dangerous standoff between Israel and the various factions vying for control in the war-torn country.
