Israel strikes Syrian military sites while troops move into Golan Heights buffer zone
Israeli warplanes have conducted a number of air strikes in different part of Syria where military sites are located, while ground troops have seized a border buffer zone in the Golan Heights. Meanwhile, the Israeli defence minister has said that Syria's naval fleet was destroyed overnight on Monday.
In the immediate aftermath of the fall of the al-Assad government over the weekend, Israeli forces moved into the roughly 400-square-kilometre buffer zone inside Syria that had been established after the 1973 Mideast war, a move it said was taken to prevent attacks on its citizens.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has closely tracked the conflict since the civil war began in 2011, and Beirut-based Mayadeen TV, which has reporters in Syria, said Israeli troops are advancing up the Syrian side of the border with Lebanon and had come within 25 kilometres of Damascus, a claim which has been denied.
Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesperson, said “the reports circulating in the media about the alleged advancement of Israeli tanks towards Damascus are false.” He said Israeli troops are stationed within the buffer zone in order to protect Israel.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel intended to establish a demilitarised zone in southern Syria.
Golan Heights part of Israel 'for eternity'
Speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem in Monday, Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu has said the occupied territory of Golan Heights in Syria will remain part of Israel "for eternity".
Israel has a long history of seizing territory during wars with its neighbours and occupying it indefinitely, citing security concerns. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in 1981 in a move not recognised by the international community with the exception of the United States.
Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia have condemned Israel’s incursion into the Golan Heights, accusing it of exploiting the instability within Syria and violating international law.
Turkey, which has been a main backer of the Syrian opposition to Assad, was also critical. The Turkish Foreign Ministry accused Israel of“displaying a mentality of an occupier” at a time when the possibility of peace and stability had emerged in Syria.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Monday said Israel's incursion constitutes a violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement and called on both Israel and Syria to uphold it.
Heavy air strikes across Syria on military sites and the navy
Israel has also said its warplanes are striking suspected chemical weapons sites and heavy weapons to prevent them from falling into the hands of extremists.
Additionally, Defence Minister Katz said that Israel's navy "operated last night to destroy the Syrian fleet and with great success."
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Israel has carried out more than 300 airstrikes across the country since the rebels overthrew Assad.
Israeli media, meanwhile, reported that the air force was methodically destroying Syria's military assets to ensure whoever rules the country next would have to rebuild them.
The operations “have been systematically destroying all that remains of the escaped tyrant’s military,” wrote Yossi Yehoshua, the military correspondent for Israel's largest daily, Yediot Ahronot.
“Dozens upon dozens of targets, including arms depots of various kinds, have been hit in waves of attacks so as to prevent them from falling into hostile hands and from posing a threat to Israel." The air force “currently enjoys complete freedom of action,” he added.
