Israeli Defense Forces Announce Seizure of Missiles and Weapons in Syria Operations
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Synopsis
In recent operations, the Israeli military reported significant seizures of missiles and weapons from the Syrian army. Ongoing efforts are focused on neutralizing threats and enhancing Israel's defense strategy in strategic regions of Syria.
Key Takeaways
- Israel conducted raids in Syria, seizing military supplies.
- Operations aimed at neutralizing threats to Israel.
- IDF continues its presence in the southern buffer zone.
- Israeli leadership emphasizes the need for demilitarization of southern Syria.
- Increased military actions reported in the region.
Jerusalem, March 9 (NationPress) The military of Israel has announced that it conducted operations in Syria over the past week, resulting in the seizure of missiles and armaments belonging to the Syrian army.
Israeli forces are actively engaged in operations and are stationed "at critical locations in Syria," as stated by the military on Saturday.
"The forces discovered, seized, and dismantled various weapons, including rifles, ammunition, missiles, and other military gear," it continued.
The missions, executed by units including paratroopers and armored divisions, aimed to "neutralize any potential threat and bolster the defense of the State of Israel," the military emphasized.
Throughout the previous week, the IDF reported conducting multiple "targeted operations" in southern Syria, during which troops confiscated and destroyed a significant number of weapons.
The IDF has characterized its presence in the southern Syria buffer zone as a temporary and defensive strategy, although Defense Minister Israel Katz has indicated that troops will remain stationed at nine military posts in the region "indefinitely."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted last month that southern Syria must undergo complete demilitarization, warning that Israel would not tolerate the presence of forces from the newly established Syrian Islamist-led government near its borders.
Israel seized portions of the Golan Heights during the 1967 Middle East war and subsequently annexed the territory in 1981, a move that is not recognized by a majority of the international community.
Since Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa led his faction, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, along with other militias to remove Bashar al-Assad on December 8, 2024, Israel has stationed forces in the United Nations-monitored buffer zone established in the strategic Golan Heights in 1974.
Following this, Israeli forces seized additional strategic locations in Syria, including areas of the Syrian-controlled Golan Heights and the summit of Mount Hermon.
Earlier this week, the IDF executed an airstrike in northwestern Syria, stating that the assault targeted a military facility associated with the former Syrian regime in the town of Qardaha, east of Latakia, where weapons were reportedly stored.
Late last month, the IDF noted that it had conducted airstrikes on military sites housing weapons in southern Syria.
Prior to Assad's removal, during the Syria civil war, Israel carried out hundreds of strikes in the neighboring nation, primarily targeting government forces and Iranian-affiliated sites.
On the same day that Assad was ousted, Israel declared that its troops were entering a UN-supervised buffer zone separating Israeli and Syrian forces in the strategic Golan Heights.
Participants in last week's national dialogue conference in Syria reaffirmed their rejection of Netanyahu's "provocative" remarks and urged the international community to pressure Israel to halt any "aggression and violations," condemning "the Israeli incursion into Syrian territory."
Israeli leaders have also publicly cautioned the Syrian government against harming the Druze in southwestern Syria and have frequently discussed with foreign leaders the importance of safeguarding both the Druze and Syria's Kurdish population.
Syrian security forces heavily deployed in the Alawite region along the Mediterranean coast on Saturday after a war monitor reported that government and allied forces had killed over 740 civilians from this religious minority in recent days.
Residents of the area continued to report civilian casualties following violent clashes that erupted on Thursday between Syria's new authorities and gunmen loyal to the deposed president Assad, an Alawite himself.
