Haaretz: The Israeli army intends to build new military bases in Syria, 65 kilometers deep.

Haaretz newspaper reported on Tuesday that the Israeli military is planning to establish new military positions in Syria, with the aim of preventing the country’s new regime from deploying advanced weapons south of the capital, Damascus.

The Israeli newspaper reported that Israel is seeking to prevent the new Syrian regime from strengthening its military presence along the border with Israel.

A zone approximately 65 kilometers from the border has been designated where only Syrian police forces are permitted.

Israel intends to prevent the deployment of any long-range weapons, such as missile launchers, in this area.

Haaretz also noted that the Israeli army is planning to establish more military positions in the buffer zone inside Syrian territory, as part of a long-term strategy to remain in those areas.

New security zones have been defined, where the Israeli Defense Forces must prevent any military presence by the new Syrian regime forces within 65 kilometers of the border.

Israeli forces control the buffer zone extending from the border fence to a distance of approximately 5 kilometers east of the border, where three brigades operate to prevent any infiltration attempts.

Syrian civilians are prohibited from entering this area, except for those residing there.

The Israeli military considers the area extending up to 15 kilometers from the border a security zone, prohibiting Syrian forces from entering.

Haaretz also noted that the Israeli military will prevent the Syrian regime from introducing any long-range weapons or advanced weapons systems into the area 65 kilometers from the border and the road linking Damascus to the city of As Sweida.

In a related development, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced last month that Israel wouldn’t allow the new regime forces in Syria to approach the area south of Damascus.

However, the Israeli military would allow Syrian police forces to enter further than 15 kilometers from the border.

Since the fall of the Assad regime and the rise of Ahmed al Sharaa to power in Syria, Israel has carried out dozens of airstrikes on Syrian military sites to prevent any attempts to consolidate a military presence in the country’s south.

Israeli airstrikes on Syrian sites continue almost daily, amid fears that the new regime’s forces could redeploy or that weapons shipments abandoned by the Assad regime could fall into the hands of the new Syrian forces.

As part of its relations with the Druze villages near the border, Israel has decided to allow hundreds of Syrian Druze to work inside Israel, particularly in the agriculture and construction sectors, starting next Sunday.

Haaretz noted that the Israeli army is also working to improve infrastructure in the Syrian Druze villages, including water lines and medical services, with the aim of later allowing family reunions between Druze in Syria and their relatives in Israel.

Currently, approximately 40,000 Syrian civilians, most of them Druze, live in areas controlled by Israeli forces in the Golan Heights and Mount Hermon, where Israel has pledged to protect them if they come under attack.