The increase in Israeli airstrikes reflects a strategic shift in response to the changing power dynamics in Syria after the fall of Assad.
The targeting of military infrastructure suggests Israel's intent to prevent any resurgence of military capabilities that could threaten its security.
Continued Israeli airstrikes are likely as the situation in Syria evolves, particularly if rebel groups consolidate power in the capital.
The Israeli military may expand its operations to include more extensive reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering missions in Syria.
Israeli fighter jets conducted approximately 40 airstrikes on military positions in Syria overnight, targeting areas in the Damascus countryside, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The strikes, which occurred early on Saturday, destroyed several key military assets, including a research center, a weapons depot, and a military airport. These actions come nearly a week after a coalition of rebels captured the Syrian capital, leading to a significant increase in Israeli military operations within the region.
The airstrikes also focused on the eastern Qalamoun region, about 90 kilometers north of Damascus, where underground tunnels and ballistic missile warehouses were targeted. The SOHR reported that these strikes are part of Israel's broader strategy to dismantle the military capabilities of the former Assad regime, which has been severely weakened following the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad.
In addition to the strikes in Damascus, Israeli forces targeted a missile base on Mount Qassioun and military sites in the southern province of Sweida. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has instructed the military to maintain a presence in the buffer zone along the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan, following the recent changes in the Syrian political landscape.
