Israel confirmed that it is carrying out strikes in southern Syria, as the new Syrian government calls for the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Syrian territory.
“We will not allow southern Syria to become southern Lebanon,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said of the strikes. “Any attempt by the Syrian regime forces and the country’s terrorist organizations to establish themselves in the security zone in southern Syria will be met with fire.”
Katz stated that the Israeli Air Force is “now attacking strongly in southern Syria as part of the new policy we have defined of pacifying southern Syria.”
“We will not endanger the security of our citizens,” according to him.
Israeli officials confirmed the strikes after Syrian state media reported several aircraft strikes near Damascus.
Since the regime of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fell in December 2024, Israeli forces have occupied the demilitarized buffer zone along Syria’s border.
Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that Israeli forces will remain in the buffer zone that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria for some time.
Earlier this week, during remarks at a military graduation, Netanyahu vowed that Israel would not allow Syria’s new army or the rebel group that overthrew the Assad regime to “enter the area south of Damascus,” according to the Associated Press.
Earlier Tuesday, the new Syrian government demanded the “immediate, immediate, and unconditional withdrawal” of Israeli forces from Syria, describing their presence as a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the Syrian state.”
Katz stated last week that IDF troops will remain in some areas of southern Lebanon after the deadline for total withdrawal outlined in the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah, to “ensure the protection of all Israeli communities and deterrence against threats from Lebanon.”
