ALBAWABA- Israel has intensified its military campaign in southern Syria, carrying out a series of airstrikes and ground operations last night, targeting Syrian army positions near Damascus and along the Golan Heights buffer zone.
Videos circulating online showed explosions in Tel Mana near Al-Kiswah, southwest of Damascus, as Israeli warplanes and helicopters struck military sites. Syrian media reported “violent explosions” and plumes of smoke across the capital’s countryside.
According to a Syrian military source speaking to Al Jazeera, Israeli helicopters landed troops in the Kiswah area, where soldiers and search equipment were deployed for more than two hours. No clashes with Syrian forces were reported during the landing.
The operations struck several key Syrian military installations, including the 76th Brigade in Rif Dimashq, the 10th Division headquarters in Qatana, and the 44th Army Division in southern Damascus.
Syrian officials confirmed casualties among both soldiers and civilians, with dozens reported dead or wounded. One civilian was killed when a house was hit in Turnejeh village near Quneitra.
Local sources said Israeli forces, supported by Apache helicopters, also staged a ground incursion into Saysoun village in western Daraa province, marking one of Israel’s rare on-the-ground operations in Syria this year.
Targets reportedly included armored personnel carriers, rocket launchers, and short-range air defense systems, some of which Syrian sources claimed were recently supplied by Turkey.
Israel has not officially confirmed the strikes. However, sources close to the Israeli military said the operations aimed to neutralize threats to the Druze community in southern Syria and destroy foreign-supplied weapons intended for anti-Israeli attacks.
The escalation comes amid mounting regional tensions following the collapse of the Assad regime in late 2024, after which Israel reinforced its presence in Quneitra and Daraa as part of its strategy to enforce a demilitarized zone in southern Syria.
The Syrian government condemned the raids as “aggression and a violation of sovereignty,” accusing Israel of causing significant human and material losses. Despite the strikes, no major Syrian counteroffensive has been reported, though internal security forces have been mobilized.
