By Vivian Yee
Overnight, Israel carried out strikes on Syrian weapon storage sites and air defense installations, as reported on Sunday by a monitoring group, which indicated these actions are part of Israel’s efforts to deny “extremists” military resources following the rebels’ assumption of power in Syria.
In total, Israel launched 75 strikes against its neighbor, starting Saturday night around the capital, Damascus, and extending to the cities of Hama and Homs, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based organization that has extensively recorded the Syrian conflict. Immediate casualty reports were unavailable.
Since the Assad regime’s collapse a week ago, Israel has executed over 450 strikes in Syria, the Observatory stated, resulting in the destruction of the Syrian navy, as well as numerous air bases, ammunition caches, and other military assets.
Israel’s military has also occupied an extensive area within Syrian territory across the unofficial border between the two nations, including sections of the strategically important Mount Hermon. Israel has not provided a timeline for its withdrawal, merely indicating that it will remain until its security needs are satisfied.
Ahmad al-Sharaa, the leader of the rebel coalition now governing Syria, remarked in a Saturday interview on Syria TV, a pro-opposition channel, that Israel was using justifications to rationalize its “unjustified” territorial occupations in Syria. Nonetheless, he emphasized that Syria could not sustain further conflict.
“Given Syria’s war-ravaged condition after years of violence, we cannot afford new confrontations,” he stated, emphasizing a commitment to diplomatic solutions. “Reconstruction and stability are our priorities at this juncture, rather than engaging in conflicts that could lead to more destruction.”
The Observatory reported on Sunday that Israeli forces in Syrian territory had requested that residents in western Daraa province relinquish their weapons, mirroring actions taken in other villages within the area now held by Israel.
There was no immediate response from the Israeli Defense Forces regarding their latest operations in Syria.
Neither the former Syrian administration led by Bashar Assad nor the new governing authorities in Damascus have launched attacks on Israel, while Arab nations and France have urged Israel to retreat and honor Syria’s sovereignty.
Israeli leaders contend that the airstrikes are vital for securing the border and preventing Syrian armaments from falling into extremist hands while the country remains in turmoil. U.S. officials have supported these claims, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterating on Thursday that Israel communicated to the Biden administration that its presence in Syria was “a temporary measure” to ensure “that this vacuum isn’t filled by adverse elements.”
With the Assad regime ousted, there are concerns about a security void that could be exploited by the Islamic State or other extremist factions.
The ruling group in Damascus, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, has long been classified as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and other Western nations due to its connections to extremist organizations such as al-Qaida.
However, the group has established a technocratic government in Damascus, vowing to implement moderate and tolerant governance. This approach has led some nations to contemplate lifting the terrorist designation to foster diplomatic relations with Syria’s new leaders.
During a visit to Israeli troops stationed in the Golan Heights on Friday, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, chief of staff of the Israeli military, asserted that his nation was acting to safeguard its borders and citizens, even as it crossed the boundaries set by the 1974 ceasefire agreement between Syria and Israel. He stated that Israel had no intention of meddling in the future of post-Assad Syria.
“A nation that was once an enemy had its military collapse, and there’s a risk that terrorist groups could infiltrate here,” Halevi remarked in comments released by the military on Saturday.
“We took action to prevent these terrorist elements from establishing their presence near the border,” he stated. “We are not interfering in the internal affairs of Syria. Our main interest is the security of Israeli citizens here.”
According to the Observatory, the airstrikes lasted approximately eight hours, targeting weapon and ammunition storage sites, as well as military facilities in the mountains and rural areas surrounding Damascus.
The report indicated that Israel also focused on warehouses outside Homs, air defense systems at Hama airport, and various other locations.
Other international players are also maneuvering to protect their interests in the aftermath of the Assad era, including Russia, which had previously supported Assad’s regime to maintain its two military bases in Syria, serving as launch pads for its expanding military footprint in Africa.
Al-Sharaa, also known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, expressed uncertainty in his Saturday interview regarding Russia’s role in Syria, merely suggesting that the relationship should be reassessed “in a manner that serves mutual interests.”
In Damascus, the authorities led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham announced their efforts to restore security and public services to help the country return to a semblance of normalcy.
The transitional administration declared on Telegram that all educational institutions would resume classes on Sunday, with schools and universities in Aleppo, Idlib, Damascus, and other provinces doing so.
Concerns persisted regarding how the new leadership would navigate sectarian tensions between Syria’s Sunni Muslim majority, represented by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, and minority groups, including Alawites, a Shiite Muslim sect that encompasses the Assad family and many of its staunchest allies. Reports of sporadic acts of retaliation and threats against Alawite and Shiite populations continued in Syria, despite the ongoing calls from the new administration for the respect of minorities.
On Saturday, without providing justification, the authorities announced the opening of registration centers in Latakia province, a former bastion of Assad, where individuals linked to the ousted regime would be required to register.
