Israel bombs Syrian army positions around Damascus and deploys additional military forces in buffer zone with Syria
Israel launched strikes on Syrian army positions around Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported, hours after opposition factions announced their entry into the capital and the overthrow of President Bashar al Assad.
Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman reported that Israeli shelling targeted positions of the Syrian Army’s Fourth Division in the Mezzeh Military Airport area near the capital, adding that the shelling targeted weapons depots.
The Israeli army said on Sunday morning that it had deployed forces in the buffer zone with Syria and at several defensive points, to ensure the security of the occupied Golan.
This came in a statement published by the Israeli army on X, in light of the developments in Syria.
The statement said, “In light of the events in Syria and based on an assessment of the situation and the possibility of militants entering the buffer zone, the Israeli army deployed forces in the buffer zone and at several necessary defensive points”.
The Israeli army also said, “the move was to ensure the security of the residents of the Golan Heights towns and the citizens of Israel, stressing, “Israel doesn’t interfere in the events taking place in Syria”.
The Israeli army emphasized, “Israel will continue to act as necessary to maintain the buffer zone and protect the State of Israel and its citizens”.
For its part, the Israeli Army Radio said that the army is renewing its forces in the Golan Heights in a significant way, and is transferring the 98th Division with the Paratroopers and Commando Brigades to the Syrian border.
Following clashes that broke out on November 27 between Syrian army forces and opposition factions in the western countryside of Aleppo Governorate, the factions were able to extend their control over the center of Aleppo city on November 30, and over Idlib Governorate (northwest) completely.
On Thursday, the factions took control of Hama province in the center of the country, followed by Friday’s control of the center of Dara’a province, adjacent to the Jordanian border, in the south of the country, while on Saturday, local opposition groups took control of the city of Sweida, which has a Druze majority, in the south of the country.
The Syrian opposition factions were able to extend their control over Homs province on Saturday, then entered the capital Damascus at dawn on Sunday and took control of it, with the withdrawal of Syrian army forces from public institutions and streets, thus ending a 61-year era of Baath Party rulers and 53 years of rule by the Assad family.
