Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
After the fall of Bashar al-Assad of Syria, Israel has been invading its neighbor’s territory.
Since al-Assad’s spectacular flight to Russia on Sunday, Israel has struck Syria more than 400 times and, despite UN protests, launched a military incursion into the buffer zone that has separated the two countries since 1974 .
These attacks have occurred as the country tries to move away from 53 years of dynastic family rule.
In recent months, Israel has attacked its neighbor Lebanon and has continued to a war condemned as genocide on the besieged population of Gaza.
But why is Israel attacking Syria now? Here’s everything you need to know.
Israel has justified its strikes in Syria for years by claiming it is taking out Iranian military targets. However, Iran has said none of its forces are currently in Syria.
Now, Israel says it is focused on destroying the Syrian military infrastructure.
Israel says it is trying to prevent weapons from falling into the hands of “extremists,” a definition it has applied to a rotating list of actors, most recently Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the main Syrian opposition group that led the operation to overthrow al-Assad.
Israel says it has attacked military facilities, including weapons depots, ammunition depots, airports, naval bases and research centers.
Israel has also deployed military units to the buffer zone along the Golan Heights that separates Syria and Israel. The land has been a demilitarized zone officially designated as part of a 1974 Ceasefire agreement negotiated by the UN.
Israel occupies roughly two-thirds of the Golan Heights, with the UN-administered buffer zone covering a narrow area of 400 square kilometers (154 sq mi). The rest has been controlled by Syria.
Syrian security forces also reported that Israeli tanks were advancing from the Golan Heights toward Qatana, 10 km (six miles) into Syrian territory and near the capital.
Israeli military sources have denied any such incursion.
In addition to the more than 100 attacks in the capital, Israel carried out attacks in Al Mayadin in the east, Tartous and Masyaf in the northwest, the Qusayr crossing with Lebanon, and the Khalkhalah military airport to the south
That he is acting in his defense.
Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters on Monday that the former Syrian territory along the Golan Heights, which has been classified as a demilitarized zone since 1974, would remain part of Israel “for eternity.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has defended the Israeli strikes since Sunday, saying Israel’s intention had only been to target suspected chemical weapons sites and long-range rocket sites, to prevent armed groups opposing Israel’s ongoing offensives from taking over their neighbors.
At a briefing for foreign media, Sa’ar said Israel was acting “precautionarily”.
“That is why we attacked strategic weapons systems, such as, for example, remaining chemical weapons, or long-range missiles and rockets, so that they do not fall into the hands of extremists,” he said.
This is not yet clear.
The government has made no statement outside of “acting in the interest of Israel’s defense” that would indicate its intent.
However, some prominent Israeli figures have spoken out about their views on what should happen next.
Benny Gantz, leader of the National Unity party and opponent of Netanyahu, he said reporters on Monday that this was “an opportunity of historic proportions” for Israel. He called on policymakers to “develop our relations with the Druze, the Kurds and other groups in Syria,” suggesting that Israel could develop relations with groups that have traditionally opposed the armed opposition coalition that ousted the Assad
the same day, The Times of Israel interviewed a researcher and former member of the Israeli military, who took Gantz’s suggestion further, suggesting that Syria could be divided into a series of cantons, each free to cooperate with outside actors, including Israel.
“The modern nation-state in the Middle East has failed,” said former colonel Anan Wahabi, who identified himself as a member of the Druze minority.