Israel Launches Airstrikes across Syria After Assad Government Falls

Security sources reported that Israeli aircraft targeted the al-Mazzeh military base in Damascus and Khalkhalah in the southern al-Suweida region on Sunday.

Loud explosions were heard following strikes on a major security complex in the Kafr Sousa district and residential areas on the outskirts of Damascus.

Further attacks were reported in Daraa province in southern Syria, where the targets included suspected weapons depots, missile production facilities, and air defense systems.

Israeli forces earlier entered Syrian territory, advancing into the Quneitra region near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Local media reported the presence of Israeli tanks in Khan Arnabeh, northeast of Quneitra, where forces began digging trenches and destroying what they claimed were weapons depots.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the military to secure a buffer zone in the Golan Heights, established under the 1974 ceasefire agreement with Syria.

Netanyahu added, "The 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria has collapsed."

The airstrikes followed significant developments earlier in the day when Syrian militant groups, led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), seized control of Damascus.

The militants raided military and security centers, capturing the city’s radio and television stations and declaring full control of the capital.

The fall of Damascus came after weeks of advances by opposition forces.

On November 27, militant groups launched a large-scale offensive against Syrian government troops in Aleppo and Idlib provinces.

By December 7, they had captured major cities including Aleppo, Hama, Deir ez-Zur, Daraa, and Homs.

Government forces withdrew from Damascus on Sunday morning as President Assad stepped down and left the country following intra-Syrian negotiations.

Qatari media reported that an arms depot belonging to the Syrian army near Izra in the Daraa region, 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) south of Damascus, was bombed, causing multiple explosions.

The Israeli military, which has regularly conducted strikes on such facilities, claimed that it was concerned that "hostile elements" could use the weapons against the Zionist regime.

Israel had been the principal supporter of terrorist groups that opposed the government of President Assad since the foreign-backed militancy erupted in Syria.