Israel Bombs Multiple Targets in Syria Hours After Country’s Leader Demands Withdrawal

Tel Aviv: The Israeli military carried out air strikes targeting military sites in southern Syria on Tuesday, just hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded the demilitarization of the region, as per media reports.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that the strikes hit various military targets, including command centres and sites containing weapons.

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"Over the past few hours, the IDF struck military targets in southern Syria including command centres and multiple sites containing weapons," the army said in a statement.

"The presence of military forces and assets in the southern part of Syria pose a threat to the citizens of Israel. The IDF will continue to operate in order to remove any threat to the citizens of the State of Israel," it added.

Though IDF didn't provide any details on the locations, according to a war monitor, two military sites south of the Syrian capital were struck in the Israeli air raids, with loud explosions heard and warplanes reported flying over Damascus.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that Israeli aircraft targeted a military unit's headquarters southwest of Damascus and hit a military position in Daraa province.

These attacks followed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Sunday remarks in which he called for the "complete demilitarisation of southern Syria,' including the Quneitra, Daraa, and Suwayda provinces.

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"We will not allow forces from the HTS organisation or the new Syrian army to enter the area south of Damascus," the Israeli PM said, referring to the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham which spearheaded the offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad in December.

"We demand the complete demilitarisation of southern Syria, including the Quneitra, Daraa and Suwayda provinces," he added.

On the same day Assad was ousted, Israel announced its troops were entering a UN-patrolled buffer zone separating Israeli and Syrian forces on the strategic Golan Heights, which has been in place since 1974.

In response, Syria called on the international community to pressure Israel to halt its "aggression and violations," condemning Israel’s actions and its incursion into Syrian territory.