Israeli invasion of Syria (2024–present) | |||||||||
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Part of the Middle Eastern crisis, the spillover of the Gaza war and the Arab–Israeli conflict | |||||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||||
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Units involved | |||||||||
Strength | |||||||||
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Casualties and losses | |||||||||
Per Israel: 1 soldier killed 3 soldiers injured (non-combat) [21] Per SOHR: 7 soldiers injured [22] Per Syrian Popular Resistance: Multiple wounded 1+ vehicles damaged [23] | Per SNHR: 38 civilians killed 6 soldiers killed [b] 26+ arrested/detained [c] Per SOHR: 33–43 civilians killed 30–35 soldiers killed [d] 1 unknown person killed [78] 41+ arrested [e] Several tanks and drones lost [104] Per BBC: 7 journalists detained [105] Material losses: Multiple military sites destroyed as well as ground, air and naval assets. [106] |
Following the fall of the Assad regime on 8 December 2024, Israel invaded the buffer zone in southwestern Syria (adjacent to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights) and has continued to occupy it. Israel also carried out an aerial bombing campaign to cripple the new Syrian Armed Forces, and demanded that it stay out of southern Syria. Israel's government claimed this was to thwart any "potential threat" from post-war Syria.
Israel took advantage of the power vacuum created by the fall of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to increase the amount of territory it controlled by several hundred square miles. [107] Israel declared the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement with Ba'athist Syria to be void. [108] [109] Israel initially said this new invasion would be "temporary", but later said it would hold onto the territory for an "unlimited time". [110] Israel also launched extensive aerial and naval strikes on Syrian military targets across the country, under an operation codenamed Operation Arrow of Bashan (Hebrew : מבצע חץ הבשן, romanized: Mivtza Ḥetz HaBashan). [111] [112] Israel's campaign crippled Syria's military capabilities, including its army and its navy, and destroyed its chemical weapons stockpiles.
Israel's campaign in Syria was internationally condemned and was accused of violating international law. [113] Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa condemned Israel's actions and demanded withdrawal, but also said his country was not in a position to be drawn into another war following the 14-year Syrian civil war. [114] [115]
On 25 February 2025, Israel deepened its invasion of southern Syria while conducting a wave of airstrikes there and in Damascus, one day after demanding the Syrian caretaker government demilitarize southern Syria. Since the July 2025 Suwayda clashes, Israel has launched airstrikes against the Syrian military that it says are in defense of the Syrian Druze.
Since the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel has occupied most of the Golan Heights region of Syria. After the Yom Kippur War in 1973, Israel and Syria agreed to a ceasefire which created the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), which maintains a small buffer zone between the two countries. In 1981, Israel annexed the region, a move condemned by the United Nations and unrecognized by any country except the United States (recognized 2019). [116] [117] During its occupation, Israel has depopulated Syrian towns and villages and promoted Israeli settlement in the Heights. [118]
In November 2024, the United Nations accused Israel of violating the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement in November with engineering work and battle tanks inside the demilitarized zone. [119] UNDOF stated it had "repeatedly engaged with the IDF to protest the construction." [119] Israel responded that it was "working to establish a barrier on Israeli territory exclusively in order to thwart a possible terrorist invasion and protect the security of Israel's borders," and that "Israeli and IDF officials maintain close contact with UN officials who are familiar with the threats in the region." [119]
In December 2024, the Syrian opposition launched a major offensive against the Bashar al-Assad led Syrian regime. Following the fall of the Assad regime, Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli expressed apprehension at the opposition forces' political upheaval of the Syrian government, claiming that: "Most of Syria is now under the control of al-Qaeda and Daesh." [120] He implored Israel to re-fortify its defensive line at Mount Hermon in Israeli-occupied Golan Heights based on 1974 borders in order to prevent potential attacks by the new regime. [121]
The collective of Druze community leaders in Syria condemned the invasion. [122] The newly formed Suwayda Military Council declared its commitment to integrating into the Syrian Army while also supporting the demilitarization of southern Syria. The Sheikh al-Karama Forces, a Druze military organization affiliated with the FSA condemned the invasion as a violation of Syria's sovereignty and stated they would work with opposition forces. [123] Sheikh al-Karama Forces had issued a joint statement with the Al-Jabal Brigade in January 2025 emphasizing that it was prepared to integrate into a united "military body" in southern Syria. [124]
On 9 December 2024, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued orders for military objectives in southern Syria. The IDF received four primary strategic objectives from Katz to conduct "in the immediate term": [125]
Israel has also stated its demands for all Syrian territory south of Damascus to be demilitarized, including the governorates of Quneitra, Daraa and Suwayda, and that it would not tolerate threats against the Druze in southern Syria. [126] [127]
Following the advance of the Syrian opposition in the south, Israel reinforced Division 210 and deployed additional troops to the Golan Heights to prevent any possible threats. [128] When Syrian opposition forces first occupied the southern town of Hader, it was reported that the IDF had advanced further into the Golan Heights to repel an attack on a United Nations post in the area. [129] [130] Additionally, the IDF significantly reinforced its presence within the established buffer zone. [131] [132]
On 8 December 2024, Israeli armored units, including main battle tanks, crossed the ceasefire line in the occupied Golan Heights fence and entered the buffer zone during early morning operations. Israeli Army Radio stated that the IDF and Northern Command initiated the operation in order to strengthen its border with Syria and prevent spillover or attacks against Israel. [132] [133] [134]
The military advance extended into the Quneitra Governorate, with substantial forces entering the town of Khan Arnabah. Syrian media reported that Israeli forces had advanced into the city center of al-Salam. [133] Following the advance into the Quneitra Governorate and the Syrian-controlled side of Mount Hermon by the Israeli Special Forces Shaldag Unit (Unit 5101), [9] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement saying that the 1974 ceasefire agreement had collapsed when Syrian soldiers abandoned their posts in the Golan Heights, and that the area was to be temporarily occupied [f] to "ensure that no hostile force embeds itself next to the border of Israel." [136] During the takeover, IDF spokesman Avichay Adraee announced a curfew in five Syrian villages, including Quneitra, ordering locals of the border towns to remain inside "until further notice." [137] [138] On 8 December 2024, Al Arabiya reported that Israel had taken control of Tell al-Hara. [139] On 10 December correspondents for Al Jazeera and Enab Baladi reported Israeli tanks in several Syrian villages such as Beer Ajam. [140] [141] Although Israeli tanks were also reported as far as Qatana, 26 kilometres (16 mi) from Damascus [142] an IDF spokesman insisted that "IDF forces are not advancing towards Damascus. This is not something we are doing or pursuing in any way" while acknowledging that, beyond the buffer zone, "a few additional points" had been seized. The Israeli Defense Minister also stated that Israel aims to establish a "sterile defence zone" in southern Syria to "prevent the establishment and organisation of terror in Syria". [143]
On 11 December, orthodox Chabad Jews printed the Tanya, a central Chabad religious text, from a light truck on Syrian land, at the base of Mount Hermon, a short distance to the east of the purple line. [144]
On 12 December, Syrian residents of Hader, Hamidiya, and Umm Batna in Quneitra Governorate were displaced from their homes after the IDF entered with military vehicles, with Israeli troops subsequently probing Umm Batna in its entirety. [145]
From 12 to 13 December, Syrian sources reported that Israeli forces conducted formal meetings with local community representatives in the Yarmouk Basin area in southwestern Daraa Governorate, reportedly using loudspeakers and a low-flying drone to broadcast messages urging meetings and requirements. The Israeli military reportedly articulated specific security requirements for the local population, including the surrender of all weapons in the village, compliance with home search operations, and the prohibition of armed resistance against any military operations. Syrian sources also claimed that Israeli troops used loudspeakers to warn villagers in the area to evacuate their residences. [146] [147]
On 15 December Israel attempted to depopulate several Syrian villages in the newly occupied part of the Golan Heights. After the residents declined, Israel began destroying the electricity and water networks in the villages to attempt to forcibly evict them. [148] The Israeli government also declared that it would expand Israel settlements in the Golan Heights. [149] Netanyahu announced plans to double the Golan Heights' population in a statement on the 15th, saying Israel would continue to hold onto it and that "Strengthening the Golan is strengthening the State of Israel." [150]
On 17 December, Netanyahu met with Defense Minister Israel Katz, Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi, commander of the Northern Command Ori Gordin, and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, where they held a security briefing and visited outposts at the summit. During a video statement filmed on the summit, Netanyahu said that the IDF would stay in Syria "until another solution ensuring Israel's security is found". [151] [152]
On 18 December, it was reported that over 100 Syrian families had been forcibly expelled from the Golan Heights by the Israeli military. [153] Witnesses describe that Israeli soldiers had opened fire on them and on their homes. [153] The United Nations peacekeepers have been removing Israeli flags in the newly occupied area. [153]
On 19 December, it was reported that the Israeli military is preventing Syrian farmers in Ma'ariya from accessing their fields. [1]
On 20 December, the Israeli military occupied two addition Syrian villages, Jamlah and Maaraba, and then shot bullets at Syrians protesting the Israeli occupation. [154]
On 25 December, the Israeli military shot at protesters in the Syrian villages of Suweisa and Diwaya Al-Kabira in the Quneitra Governorate. [155]
On 30 December, Israeli forces advanced into Madinat al-Baath and searched the local administrative offices. [156] On the same day, Israeli military lecturer Rami Simani stated that Syria has "never had a real right to exist" and that "Israel can and must cause Syria to disappear", advocating a partition of Syria. [157]
On 9 January, Israeli officials said that they are going to occupy for "the long run" a 15 km "zone of control" and 60 km "sphere of influence" deeper into Syria. [158]
On 31 January, Israeli troops clashed with five pro-Assad Syrian rebels in Trinjeh. The Jerusalem Post reported that The Islamic Resistance Front in Syria was responsible for the attack, but the Syrian Popular Resistance claimed responsibility, claiming that multiple Israeli soldiers were wounded and vehicles were damaged. The IDF said that it suffered no casualties. [23] [159]
On 2 February, the IDF near Jubata al-Khashab and surrounding villages established outposts and military bases with calls for more Israeli settlement into the Golan Heights by Israeli officials. [160]
On 11 February, Israeli Army Radio reported that Israel would prolong the occupation of their newly invaded territory in Syria throughout 2025. [135]
On 23 February, the IDF confirmed that it had built at least nine army posts in Syria, including two on Mount Hermon and seven on the buffer zone. [161]
On 25 February, the IDF completed raids southern Rif Dimashq, in the villages of Al-Kiswa, and Daraa, in the vicinity of the city of Izra and penetrating the outskirts of Al-Bakar village, and penetrated the administrative borders between the governorates of Daraa and Quneitra in southern Syria and the Ain al-Bayda area in the countryside of Quneitra in southern Syria, also taking the villages of Sidon Al-Golan and Sidon Al-Hanout in the countryside of Quneitra. [162] [163] This came after plans to install advanced military technology, border fencing, and checkpoints in the borders of Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria. [164]
On 27 February, the Islamic Resistance Front in Syria began forming military cells in Southern Syria, likely with Iranian backing. [165]
On 1 March, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the IDF to prepare to defend the Druze community in Jaramana following clashes between Syrian security forces and a local group called the "Jaramana Shield Brigade" that left one Syrian soldier dead. [166] [167]
On 8 March, the IDF announced that it carried out several raids in southern Syria the week prior, capturing and destroying weapons. [168]
On 19 March 2025, Israel launched its largest incursion yet, capturing the village of Al-Adnaniyah in the countryside of Quneitra Governorate. [169]
On 25 March, several Syrian gunmen attacked Israeli soldiers in Kuwaya. No Israeli troops were harmed, and five people were killed by retaliatory fire and a drone strike. Also that day, the IDF announced that the Paratroopers Brigade and Yahalom had carried out several raids against weapon storage sites in southern Syria in recent weeks. [170]
On 2 April, Israeli forces conducted a deep incursion in Daraa Governorate, advancing towards Nawa. [171] Mosques called upon residents to defend, [172] and some 2,000 men bearing hunting rifles or no arms mobilised to prevent the Israelis from capturing the nearby Jabiliya Dam, whose reservoir supplies water to Nawa and its surrounding settlements. [173] In response, Israeli forces conducted drone strikes that killed nine people, although they later withdrew. [172] [173] Thousands attended the funerals of those killed the following day, including Daraa governor Anwar al-Zoubi. [172]
On 4 April, it was reported that the Israeli military and Israeli settler movement began organizing trips for Israeli civilians inside the newly occupied part of Syria. [174] [175]
On 10 April, the Israeli newspaper Ynet reported that Israeli soldiers have been shooting at Syrian shepherds and that 100 sheep had been killed. [176] The Israelis have also prevented Syrians from accessing their farmland and have fired towards and threatened Syrian civilians at the Al-Mantra Dam in Quneitra. [176]
On the 29 of April, Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich stated: "we will end this campaign when Syria is dismantled". [177]
On 1 May, an Israeli soldier from the 890th Battalion was killed and three others suffered minor injuries following a car accident during an operation on Highway 98 in the Golan Heights. [21]
On 3 May, the IDF announced that it sent troops to southern Syria who were ready to "prevent the entry of hostile forces into the area of Druze villages" amid deadly clashes in the area. It also evacuated 15 Syrian Druze wounded in the clashes to hospitals in Israel throughout the week. [178]
On 9 May, seven BBC Arabic journalists, including Feras Kilani, were detained at gunpoint by Israeli soldiers while they were filming in the area of an unguarded checkpoint, around 200 kilometres (120 mi) from Quneitra. The soldiers took them to a room in the crossing point between Quneitra and the Golan Heights, where they were all handcuffed and blindfolded except for Kilani, who was told that he would be treated differently. The team was held for about seven hours, during which they were strip searched, interrogated, and had photos on their phones and laptops deleted. [105]
On 3 June, a barrage of Grad rockets was fired at Israel from Tasil, setting off sirens in northern Israel and the Golan Heights. The rockets struck open areas near Ramat Magshimim, and the IDF responded with artillery fire. [179] A second barrage was fired minutes later, but it is unclear if it came from Syria. [180] A group called the "Martyr Muhammad al-Deif Brigades" claimed responsibility for the attack. [181]
On 12 June, Syrian sources reported that around 100 Israeli soldiers raided Beit Jinn, killing one person and detaining seven others. The IDF said that it arrested several Hamas operatives who were planning attacks on Israel and also uncovered weapons in the area, although villagers denied ties with Hamas. [182]
On 19 June, Israeli forces advanced at least 1.5 km into several towns in the Quneitra Governorate. According to local sources, Israeli soldiers destroyed at least fifteen homes, agricultural and forest areas. [183] [184]
On 13 July, the IDF announced that it seized over three tons of weapons such as bombs, anti-tank mines, and rockets from military facilities in southern Syria that belonged to the Assad government. [185]
On 27 August, Israeli helicopters landed on a hilltop near Damascus and dropped off troops near the Jabal Manea airbase, where they conducted a two-hour operation before withdrawing. [186]
On 14 September, the IDF carried out a ground operation in Daraa province and carried out searches in the towns of Jamla and Saysoun. [187]
On 8 December 2024, the Israeli Air Force conducted targeted operations against weapons storage facilities, which Israel considered strategic threats, across southern Syria to prevent them from falling into the hands of opposition forces. [188] [131] Israeli officials claimed that the targets included small stockpiles of chemical weapons, mainly mustard gas and VX gas, radar-equipped batteries, vehicles of Russian-made air defense missiles, and stockpiles of Scud missiles. [138] The White Helmets reported that: "there was no evidence of unusual toxic fumes during the extinguishing of the fire, and no cases of suffocation were observed among civilians" [189] Israel also reportedly launched airstrikes on Syrian intelligence and customs headquarters, with explosions reported at their locations in Damascus. [137] [190] Later, Israel also heavily shelled Mezzeh Air Base. [191]
In the early hours of 9 December 2024, Israel conducted several airstrikes across the Daraa and Suwayda Governorates in southern Syria. Six airstrikes were reported at an airbase north of Suwayda, while multiple others targeted ammo depots in Nawa and the Daraa countryside. [192] By evening, the Israeli Air Force and Navy had struck naval assets in the Port of Latakia, [193] [106] and an alleged chemical weapons production center in Barzeh, [194] and Qamishli Airport in northern Syria. [4] These roughly 200 [142] airstrikes, including strikes on Damascus, Daraa, Latakia, and Hama, [195] destroyed dozens of fighter jets and helicopters in the first phase and the entire Syrian naval fleet in the second. [196] An Israeli senior official said airstrikes "would persist in the coming days". [197] [198]
In the morning of 10 December, photographs revealed sunken Osa-class missile boats in the Port of Latakia after overnight Israeli strikes. [196] The IDF announced that its air force and navy conducted over 480 strikes in Syria in the span of 48 hours, 350 of which targeted airfields, anti-aircraft batteries, missiles, drones, fighter jets, tanks, and weapon production sites, [199] destroying between 70% and 80% of Syria's strategic weapons. It added that 15 naval vessels were destroyed in strikes on Minet el-Beida and Latakia. [11] [199] Overnight on 16 December, Israel struck radar and air defense systems in Tartous and Damascus, with the strikes on Tartous using notably heavy munitions. In the eight days since the fall of the Assad government, Israel struck Syria around 600 times. Al Jazeera correspondent Resul Serdar said that "Israel is pursuing a strategy of diminishing this country's air defence capability and also its air forces." [200] A senior Israeli security source described it as the "largest air operation carried out by its air force in its history". [143] A former rebel commander claimed that they will "need decades to rebuild a national Syrian army". [12] A Turkish newspaper report alleged that Assad gave information about Syrian military sites to Israel in exchange for safe passage out of the country. [201]
On December 18, Netanyahu promised that he would not strike the area near the prison close to Damascus where American journalist Austin Tice might be held. His mother had sent him a letter two days earlier, urging him to halt Israel's airstrikes in Syria to enable the search for him to continue. [202]
On 29 December 11 people, mostly civilians, were killed in what is believed to be an Israeli airstrike on a former Syrian Army weapons depot in Adra, near Damascus. [52] [203] [204]
On 15 January, the Israeli Air Force struck a Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham vehicle convoy in Quneitra Governorate, killing two HTS personnel and the mayor of a local village. It was the first time Israel targeted HTS forces since the fall of the Assad regime. [205]
On 25 February, Syria condemned Israel's occupation of Syrian lands at its national dialogue and demanded Israel's withdrawal. [206] Hours later, Israel conducted a wave of airstrikes in Damascus and southern Syria, one day after it demanded the Syrian caretaker government demilitarize in Quneitra, Daraa, and Suwayda. [207] [208] [209] [210] At least two people were killed southwest of Damascus. [211]
On 10 March, the IDF said that it conducted airstrikes on radar systems, detection equipment, and military sites and headquarters storing weapons and equipment in Daraa Governorate. It deployed 22 fighter jets in the strikes, which dropped over 60 munitions on dozens of sites. Syrian sources reported strikes in Izra and Jabab on military sites that belonged to the 12th Brigade and the 89th Battalion of the Syrian Army under Assad. [212] [213]
On 13 March, the IDF struck the home of Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah in Dummar, which it said served as a PIJ headquarters. Although the home was empty, one person was reportedly killed in the strike. [214]
On 17 March, the IDF said that it conducted strikes on command centers and military posts that contained weapons and vehicles belonging to the Assad regime in southern Syria. The Syrian Arab News Agency reported that two people were killed and 19 others were injured in a strike in Daraa. [215]
On 21 March, the IDF said that it conducted airstrikes against military targets in Palmyra and the Tiyas Air Base in Homs Governorate. At least two Syrian security personnel were reportedly injured. [216]
On 25 March, IDF killed four civilians in Kuya village in Yarmouk Basin in the western countryside of Daraa. [217]
On 2 April, Israel carried out 11 airstrikes on Damascus and Hama. [218]
On 3 April, Israeli forces launched airstrikes on Daraa, killing at least 11 people and Israeli warplanes dropped leaflets, warning of the presence of "gunmen" in the area. [219] [220]
On 30 April, the IDF said that it carried out a drone strike on the outskirts of Damascus against an armed group allegedly preparing to attack the Druze community in Suwayda. The Syrian government said that a security officer was killed and several others were injured. [221] This came after Mowafaq Tarif, a Druze leader in Israel, pressed the Israeli government to "act" in the interests of the minority religious group. [222] [223] [224]
On 2 May, the IDF launched airstrikes near the presidential palace in Damascus, warning the Syrian military to halt its offensive against the Druze. [225] Later that day, SOHR reported at least 20 Israeli strikes on military sites in Syria. According to SANA, the strikes occurred in Damascus, Latakia, Hama, and Daraa, killing one in Harasta and injuring four others in Hama. [226] Four Druze militants were killed in a drone strike of unclear origin on a farm in Kanaker, but SANA blamed the attack on Israel. [227] [228] [229]
On 30 May, the IDF said that it conducted airstrikes on facilities storing anti-ship missiles "that posed a threat to international and Israeli maritime freedom of navigation" and surface-to-air missile components in the Latakia area. SOHR reported that military sites on the outskirts of Tartus and Latakia were hit, and SANA reported that a civilian was killed and three others were injured near Zama, Jableh District. [230] [231]
On 4 June, the IDF said that it had launched airstrikes on weapons belonging to Syria shortly after two projectiles were launched from Syrian territory into the Golan Heights, which Katz held al-Sharaa responsible for. The Syrian foreign ministry said the attacks caused "significant human and material losses" in southern Syria. SOHR reported "violent explosions" in southern Syria, especially Quneitra and Daraa. [232] On 8 June, IAF bombed a vehicle in southern Syria claiming to have killed a Hamas member, two others were injured as well. [233]
On 16 July, the IDF bombed the entrance to the Syrian military headquarters in Damascus as a warning, citing security concerns over the Syrian army's deployment to Suwayda to restore order amid the July 2025 southern Syrian clashes. [234] Heavier strikes targeted the Syrian military headquarters complex and caused vast damage and destruction to the main building, later strikes targeted the vicinity of the Presidential Palace in Damascus. [235] [236] The Syrian Ministry of Health reported at least three killed and 34 injured as a result of the attacks. [237] Airstrikes were also conducted by Israel on the same day on multiple targets across the Suwayda and Daraa governorates, including the al-Tha'lah Military Airbase and other military targets. [238] [239] [240]
On 26 August, Israeli drone strikes in the Damascus suburb of Al-Kiswah killed eight Syrian soldiers, who SANA reported had uncovered surveillance equipment while on patrol. Airstrikes in the area continued for a second day, aiming to prevent soldiers from entering the area, although Syrian troops were able to destroy some of the equipment and recover the bodies. [241]
Before the invasion, the Purple Line formed the mutually recognized and UN approved ceasefire line between the Israeli-occupied and Syrian controlled parts of the Golan. The Quneitra Crossing was the official crossing point, used by UN personnel and Druze residents of the Golan.
Following the invasion and expanded Israeli occupation, a new line demarcating Israeli positions formed to the north. One checkpoint is north-west of Hadar, Syria, [242] [243] [244] while others are at the entrances to other villages. [245] There are also reports of checkpoints between Beqaasem, Rima, and Arnah [246] and overlooking the Jabal Barbar mountain on the heights of Mount Hermon. [244] Beyond checkpoints, the IDF has been constructing a 6 metres (20 ft) deep trench. [247] [248]
Since late June 2025, Israel and Syria have been engaged in U.S.-brokered "advanced talks" aimed at ceasing hostilities and normalizing relations. The possibility of Syria joining the Abraham Accords has been raised, although Israel has insisted on retaining its control over the Golan Heights. [249] Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani stated that Syria aspires to return to the terms of the 1974 Disengagement agreement. [250] Among the key obstacles is Syria's demand that Israel cease operating or striking targets within Syrian territory. [251] Israeli media have reported proposals involving Syria possibly regaining a third of the Golan Heights and annexing Sunni regions in North Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley, including the city of Tripoli, in exchange for peace with Israel. [252]
In an interview to Al Jazeera, Robert Geist Pinfold – lecturer in International Peace and Security at Durham University – opined, "The Golan Heights is supposed to be a buffer zone to protect the rest of Israel. So now what Israel is doing is basically arguing that it needs a buffer zone, to protect its buffer zone, that's protecting the rest of Israel, and you have to wonder where does all this end." [281] Residents of the region expressed similar comments, saying that they're not sure how long Israel will stay, especially if they plan to keep the borders quiet "by force." [282] Others agreed that the future is uncertain, given that the situation has "changed completely." [108] Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert disagreed, saying that Israel has "enough problems to deal with", and questioned the idea of expanding the buffer zone further. [283]
According to Axios , the Trump administration believes that Netanyahu bombed Syria in July 2025 because of domestic pressure from the Israeli Druze minority and other political considerations. [284]
Israel took advantage of the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime to extend its occupation of the Golan Heights — Syrian territory partly taken by Israel in 1967 — by several hundred square miles.
The name of the operation to destroy the former Assad regime army's weapons is dubbed "Bashan Arrow" within the military, after the biblical name for the region in the Golan Heights and southern Syria.
The Golan Heights is supposed to be a buffer zone to protect the rest of Israel. So now what Israel is doing is basically arguing that it needs a buffer zone, to protect its buffer zone, that's protecting the rest of Israel, and you have to wonder where does all this end.