Israel carried out airstrikes targeting military sites in southern Syria early Tuesday, days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the region’s demilitarisation. The strikes hit command centres and weapons storage facilities, the Israeli army said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that at least two people were killed when an Israeli strike hit a military unit’s headquarters southwest of Damascus. However, it was unclear whether the victims were military personnel or civilians. Another Israeli strike hit Tell al-Hara in Daraa province, a strategic hilltop near the Golan Heights, the monitor added.
“Over the past few hours, the IDF (Israeli military) struck military targets in southern Syria including command centres and multiple sites containing weapons,” the Israeli army said in a statement. “The presence of military forces and assets in the southern part of Syria pose a threat to the citizens of Israel. The IDF will continue to operate in order to remove any threat to the citizens of the State of Israel.”
The airstrikes came after Netanyahu warned on Sunday that Israel would not tolerate the presence of forces from the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) or the newly formed Syrian army in areas south of Damascus. “We will not allow forces from the HTS organisation or the new Syrian army to enter the area south of Damascus,” he said, calling for the “complete demilitarisation of southern Syria, including the Quneitra, Daraa and Suwayda provinces.”
Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December, Israel deployed troops into a UN-monitored buffer zone separating Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights, a territory Israel captured from Syria in 1967 and later annexed. Netanyahu said Israeli forces would remain in the buffer zone “for an indefinite period to protect our communities and thwart any threat.”
Israel has conducted numerous airstrikes in Syria since 2011, primarily targeting Iranian-linked military assets. Following Assad’s ouster, it intensified strikes to prevent Syrian military sites from falling into hostile hands.
Earlier Tuesday, Syria’s national dialogue conference condemned Netanyahu’s remarks, calling them “provocative” and urging international pressure to halt “Israeli aggression and violations.” The conference also denounced Israel’s military presence inside Syrian territory.