IDF tanks nearing Damascus, 250 weapons sites bombed: Report

Israeli tanks spotted on outskirts of Damascus, as intense bombing campaign of weapons depots continues.

By World Israel News Staff

Israeli tanks are present on Syrian soil just 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Damascus, according to reports from Arabic-language media.

According to Al-Mayadeen, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, IDF tanks were seen in Qatana, marking the deepest entry of the Israeli military into Syrian territory in decades.

Qatana, a city in southern Syria with a significant Christian and Awalite population, is located to the east of Mount Hermon.

The tallest mountain in the region, Israel previously held one side of Mount Hermon, with Syria maintaining partial control of the site.

On Sunday, as the Syrian army withdrew from the area, Israel captured the Syrian side of the mountain, gaining full control of Mount Hermon.

Following the ouster of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad from power by rebel groups, the IDF crossed into the former Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between Israel and Syria.

“We gave the Israeli army the order to take over these positions to ensure that no hostile force embeds itself right next to the border of Israel,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday as he toured the border region.

“This is a temporary defensive position until a suitable arrangement is found,” Netanyahu said.

Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that he ordered the military to completely seize the DMZ and bolstered troop presence along the border.

The IDF has been engaged in a campaign to destroy “strategic weapons” in Syria that could potentially be obtained by rebel groups, including “surface-to-air missiles, air defense systems, surface-to-surface missiles, cruise missiles, long-range rockets, and coast-to-sea missiles,” Katz said in a statement.

Since the fall of Damascus on Sunday, the IDF is believed to have bombed at least 250 strategic military sites in Syria, including air force bases, chemical weapons research facilities, and weapons depots.

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon stressed that the IDF was taking “limited and temporary measures” to ensure that the conflict within Syria would not spill over to Israeli territory.

“It is important to emphasize, however, that Israel is not intervening in the ongoing conflict between Syrian armed groups; our actions are solely focused on safeguarding our security,” Danon told the UN Security Council.

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