Israeli army controls border areas, strikes strategic weapons in Syria

Israeli troops are seen at a Syrian outpost in the Golan Heights, on Dec. 9, 2024. (Photo by Jamal Awad/Xinhua)

DAMASCUS/JERUSALEM, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli army has seized control of areas near the Israel-Syria border and struck strategic weapons in Syria as of Monday, according to Syrian and Israeli sources.

On Monday, Israeli tanks advanced into the southwestern Syrian city of Quneitra near the occupied Golan Heights, reaching the governorate building as drones circled overhead, a Syrian source told Xinhua.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said multiple sites in Quneitra have been hit.

In Damascus, a Xinhua correspondent witnessed Israeli warplanes flying overhead. Mobs brandishing weapons looted from abandoned army positions roamed the streets that were riddled with shattered glass, disabled military vehicles, robbed banks, stolen cars, and ransacked kiosks.

Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said Monday in a press briefing that militants in Syria crossed into the buffer zone between Syria and Israel over the weekend, violating the disengagement agreement between the two countries.

The militants also attacked positions of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, which monitors the agreement near the border, Sa'ar said.

"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 said.

The Israeli army also launched strikes targeting "strategic weapons systems, residual chemical weapons capabilities, and long-range missiles and rockets" in Syria to prevent them from falling into the hands of "extremist elements," he added.

According to the IDF, Israeli commando forces on Sunday seized the buffer zone and a Syrian army outpost on the summit of Mount Hermon, whereas Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes near Damascus and elsewhere in Syria, targeting weapons storage facilities.

In a video statement released by his office on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to take control of the positions temporarily to ensure they would not fall into the hands of the militant groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, whose sweeping offensive across Syria since Nov. 27 resulted in the rapid fall of President Bashar al-Assad's government on Sunday.

Also on Monday, the general command of the militant groups that recently captured Damascus said in a statement broadcast on local channels that acts of violence, personal score-settling, and the sale of stolen weapons would carry stiff penalties, including prison terms of up to three years.

Public sector employees were ordered to return to work, and pharmacists were directed to keep their shops open during designated hours or risk 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 will face a month in jail.

The University of Tartous has announced the resumption of administrative and academic operations starting Tuesday. Exams, particularly practical assessments, will be rescheduled at a later date. ■

Israeli troops are seen near the buffer zone in the Golan Heights, on Dec. 9, 2024. (Photo by Jamal Awad/Xinhua)

Israeli troops are seen near the buffer zone in the Golan Heights, on Dec. 9, 2024. (Photo by Jamal Awad/Xinhua)

Israeli troops are seen near the buffer zone in the Golan Heights, on Dec. 9, 2024. (Photo by Jamal Awad/Xinhua)

Israeli troops are seen near the buffer zone in the Golan Heights, on Dec. 9, 2024. (Photo by Jamal Awad/Xinhua)

Israeli troops are seen at a Syrian outpost in the Golan Heights, on Dec. 9, 2024. (Photo by Jamal Awad/Xinhua)

Israeli troops are seen near the buffer zone in the Golan Heights, on Dec. 9, 2024. (Photo by Jamal Awad/Xinhua)

Israeli troops are seen near the buffer zone in the Golan Heights, on Dec. 9, 2024. (Photo by Jamal Awad/Xinhua)

Israeli troops are seen near the buffer zone in the Golan Heights, on Dec. 9, 2024. (Photo by Jamal Awad/Xinhua)

Israeli troops are seen near the buffer zone in the Golan Heights, on Dec. 9, 2024. (Photo by Jamal Awad/Xinhua)

Israeli troops are seen near the buffer zone in the Golan Heights, on Dec. 9, 2024. (Photo by Jamal Awad/Xinhua)