Israeli army advances into southern Syria's Quneitra

Shafaq News/ The Israeli army advanced deep into the city of Quneitra in southern Syria, with Israeli tanks surrounding government buildings, demanding their evacuation, as indicated by media reports on Monday.

Syrian media also reported that the Israeli army advanced into Al-Baath city in the Quneitra countryside, expelling employees from government offices under the pretext of conducting inspections.

Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in December 2024, the Israeli army has conducted several significant incursions into Syria, under the pretex that these operations are part of a broader strategy to prevent advanced weaponry from falling into the hands of factions and to maintain security along the Israeli-Syrian border, according to the Times of Israel.

One of the key operations, known as Operation Bashan Arrow, was launched following Al-Assad's fall. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) targeted Syrian military capabilities across the country, conducting over 350 airstrikes that destroyed approximately 70-80% of the former regime's strategic military assets, including long-range projectiles, Scud missiles, cruise missiles, and chemical weapons stockpiles.

In another significant move, Israel invaded the buffer zone between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on December 8, 2024. This marked the first Israeli occupation of Syrian territory in over 50 years. The invasion was a direct response to the Syrian Army abandoning its positions along the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) buffer area.

The IDF also conducted extensive naval and aerial strikes on Syrian military targets, including airbases, weapon depots, and production sites in Damascus, Homs, Tartus, Latakia, and Palmyra. The Israeli Navy destroyed several Syrian naval vessels in the Minet el-Beida bay and Latakia port, as per the Times of Israel.