Israel Steps Up Airstrikes, Sends Troops Deeper Into Syria

Israel stepped up its attacks on military sites in Syria, striking hundreds of targets early Tuesday and sending troops deeper into the country. The strikes targeted warehouses and weapons depots in several parts of Syria including the capital Damascus, bringing the total of Israeli airstrikes in the past two days to at least 310, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Israel’s Army Radio, citing an unnamed defense official, described Tuesday’s attack as one of the biggest strikes in the air force’s history. Syria television also reported Israeli airstrikes on Damascus and its suburbs on two separate occasions early Tuesday. Israel seized a buffer zone along its border with Syria, an area the army says is about 155 square miles in size, a day after rebel groups toppled Bashar Al-Assad’s government on Sunday. Israel also said it struck Syrian chemical weapons and missile-storage sites. The observatory, which has been monitoring the war in Syria via a network of people on the ground, said Israeli tanks were seen in the southwestern suburbs of Damascus, a dozen miles away from the capital. The Israel Defense Forces are deployed in the buffer zone as well as points close to the border with Syria, spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a post on X. He also said that reports circulating in some media outlets claiming that Israeli troops were “advancing or approaching Damascus are completely incorrect.” Israel’s seizure of the buffer zone and its sustained attacks have drawn the ire of Arab countries including Egypt and Saudi Arabia. In a statement, the kingdom said Israel’s assault showed “determination to sabotage Syria‘s chances of restoring its security, stability and territorial integrity.” Egypt also went as far as accusing Israel of seeking to “occupy more Syrian territory.”  Israel is wary of the opposition groups that brought down Assad’s government. The rebels are led by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, an Islamist group that was originally affiliated with Al-Qaeda. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government was formally in a state of war with Assad, whose government maintained relative calm on that border despite some violations in the past year. But the emergence of a new Islamist power base in its immediate vicinity adds an additional threat after more than a year fighting Iran-backed militant groups in Gaza and Lebanon. The head of HTS, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, is trying to change the image of his group from a radical one to a unified opposition capable of inclusive governance in Syria. In an interview with CNN last week, he said “no one has the right to erase another group,” responding to a question about previous attacks on minority groups.

HTS is designated a terrorist organization by the US and many other countries.

In a statement over the weekend, the quasi-government of the opposition sought to reassure the international community that they would not use chemical weapons stored in Syria. “We have no intention or desire to use chemical weapons or any weapons of mass destruction under any circumstance,” the opposition said. NN: Only a libeal lefty WOK LGBRQ TANS BINAY FOOL. believes these are not savage terrorists  that have taken over Syria. They will make Assad look like Mr. Rogers.