The Israeli army has taken control of areas near the Israel-Syria border and launched strikes against strategic weapons in Syria as of Monday, according to sources from both Syria and Israel.
On Monday, Israeli tanks advanced into the southwestern Syrian city of Quneitra near the occupied Golan Heights, reaching the governorate building while drones monitored the area, a Syrian source reported to Xinhua.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, confirmed that multiple sites in Quneitra were targeted.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced in a press briefing that militants from Syria breached the buffer zone between Syria and Israel over the weekend, violating the disengagement agreement between the two nations.
These militants also attacked positions of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, which oversees the agreement near the border, Sa'ar stated.
\"In response, and given the threat to our communities in the Golan Heights, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) carried out a targeted and temporary operation to take control of areas near the border,\" he explained.
The Israeli army further conducted strikes targeting \"strategic weapons systems, residual chemical weapons capabilities, and long-range missiles and rockets\" in Syria to prevent these from falling into the hands of \"extremist elements,\" Sa'ar added.
According to the IDF, Israeli commando forces seized the buffer zone and a Syrian army outpost atop Mount Hermon on Sunday, while Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes near Damascus and other parts of Syria, targeting weapons storage facilities.
In a video statement released on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he had instructed the military to temporarily control these positions to ensure they do not fall into the hands of militant groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, whose offensive across Syria since November 27 led to the swift downfall of President Bashar al-Assad's government on Sunday.
Additionally, on Monday, the militant groups' general command, which recently captured Damascus, declared in a statement broadcast on local channels that acts of violence, personal vendettas, and the sale of stolen weapons would incur severe penalties, including up to three years in prison.
Public sector employees were mandated to return to work, and pharmacists were ordered to keep their shops open during designated hours or face confiscation. A strict overnight curfew was also imposed from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. local time in Damascus and surrounding areas, as well as in the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartous, exempting security personnel, firefighters, medical staff, ambulances, and internal security forces. Violators may face up to a month in jail.
The University of Tartous has announced the resumption of administrative and academic operations starting Tuesday, with exams, especially practical assessments, being rescheduled to a later date.
(With input from Xinhua)
Reference(s):
Israeli army controls border areas, strikes strategic weapons in Syria
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