Israel initiates air-raids to ‘demilitarize’ Syria

(MENAFN) Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes on military sites in southern Syria, including locations near Damascus and in the Deraa province, following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's call for the complete demilitarization of the region. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) targeted several Syrian command centers and weapon depots in Kiswah, south of Damascus, and in Deraa, claiming that the presence of military forces in southern Syria posed a threat to Israeli citizens.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed that the airstrikes were part of a new policy to pacify the southern region of Syria, with the IDF threatening further action against any attempts by Syrian forces or terrorist groups to establish themselves in the area.

The latest escalation comes after the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) took control of Damascus in December, leading Israel to move into the Golan Heights and seize strategic positions like Mount Hermon. Netanyahu emphasized that Israel would not allow the new Syrian army or HTS forces to operate near southern Syria and demanded the demilitarization of the provinces of Quneitra, Deraa, and Suweida.

The Golan Heights, captured by Israel in 1967 and later annexed, remains a contested area, with Syria calling for Israeli troop withdrawal and UN forces in the buffer zone. The situation is further complicated by the presence of both Israeli settlers and Syrian Druze in the region.

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