Israel has conducted airstrikes on Syrian military sites in the Daraa Governorate, continuing near-daily attacks on the Arab country since the overthrow of former dictator Bashar al-Assad.
The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said the attacks on Monday night hit two towns in the north of Daraa, which is located 64 miles south of the capital, Damascus.
SANA reported: “Israeli occupation aircraft carried out several strikes on the surroundings of the towns of Jbab and Izraa in the north of Daraa.”
Syrian official Telegram channels also reported on the attack, claiming that Israeli warplanes hit the 12th Brigade in the city of Izraa and the artillery battalion of the 89th Regiment in the town of Jbab.
Israeli news platform Channel 14 also reported the latest Israeli violation of Syrian territory, confirming that fighter jets indeed targeted Daraa.
“Our planes are attacking north Daraa in Syria now,” the channel said, alleging the reason for the strikes was to target weapons depots, radar installations, tanks, and artillery that “rebels” attempted to seize.
After Assad’s fall, Israel expanded its illegal occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarized buffer zone, a move that violated the 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria.
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Israel has also launched hundreds of airstrikes that targeted military sites and assets across Syria, including fighter jets, missile systems, and air defense installations, in an effort to weaken the ability of the new Syrian authorities to fight and defend their country.
Concern remains high that Israel, emboldened by international indifference to the genocide in Gaza, is taking advantage of the turmoil in Syria to further expand the illegal occupation of Arab lands.
Violence in Latakia
The latest attack on Daraa comes amid violent unrest in Syria’s coastal Latakia region.
The fighting in Latakia, triggered by the killing of 13 Syrian security personnel, has been very vicious, with a large number of Syrian security forces, pro-Assad militias, and civilians killed.
Alawite-led groups have been attempting to instigate Syrian minorities to attack or revolt against Damascus in a seemingly desperate attempt to drag Syria back into a new civil war.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has vowed to bring to justice those responsible for the killing of civilians.
“We affirm that we will hold everyone responsible for the bloodshed of civilians… There will be no one above the law.”
His comments came after the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 750 civilians had been killed by pro-government militias in the Latakia region.
Al-Sharaa also pledged that pro-Assad remnants would not be allowed to sow chaos in the country.
Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime forces took control of Damascus on December 8, ending the sectarian Alawite-led regime rule, which had ruled with an iron fist since 1963.
His regime still has armed supporters or remnants of his former army lingering in parts of the country.
Latakia was considered a stronghold for the Assad regime during the bloody civil war, which saw over 600,000 people killed.
