Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the Israeli military to "seize" a UN-patrolled buffer zone between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
"I directed the military yesterday to seize the buffer zone and the commanding positions nearby. We will not allow any hostile force to establish itself on our border," he said.
“We are acting first and foremost to protect our border,” he said “This area has been controlled for nearly 50 years by a buffer zone agreed upon in 1974, the Separation of Forces Agreement. This agreement has collapsed, and the Syrian soldiers have abandoned their positions.”
Netanyahu made these statements while on a visit to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights after the Israeli military said it occupied several positions in the buffer zone.
Earlier, Israeli Army Radio quoted a military source confirming that the army had taken control of a military site in Jabal El Sheikh in Syria, following the retreat of Syrian army soldiers.
Jabal El Sheikh is an important strategic mountain range. At around 2,814 metres (9,232 feet), it is the highest point in Syria and is part of a mountain range that straddles the borders of Syria, Lebanon, and Israel.
The mountain, sometimes called the "eyes of the national" because of its tactically revealing point of view overseeing all of Syria, has always been a point of contestation between Israel and Syria during any conflict.
In the 1967 war, Israel occupied parts of the mountain range and would later integrate them into Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
In the 1973 war, the strategic mountain was heavily contested, however, after the 1974 ceasefire, the northeastern slopes of Jabal El Sheikh remained under Syrian sovereignty.
Israeli Army Radio added that Israel is preparing for several days of continued strikes in Syria allegedly to prevent strategic weapons from reaching armed factions.
The Israeli military has taken control of several military positions in the buffer zone anticipating the fall-out of the collapse of the Syrian government, reported the Times of Israel.
“The military has deployed troops in the buffer zone and in a number of areas that are necessary to defend, in order to ensure the security of the communities in the Golan Heights and the citizens of Israel,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
The Israeli army said it “will continue to operate as long as necessary in order to preserve the buffer zone and defend Israel."
The Israeli broadcasting authority has stated that airstrikes targetted the Scientific Research Centre in Damascus where chemical weapons and ballistic missile programs are developed and managed.
Al Jazeera had earlier reported artillery shelling and airstrikes targetting the Syrian capital of Damascus, with on-ground correspondents saying they were of Israeli origin.
Explosions were heard earlier in Syria, in the Mazzeh area of Damascus, two security sources told Reuters.
The sources said suspected Israeli strikes had hit the Mazzeh district.
Israeli jets are also believed to have hit the Khalkhala air base in southern Syria, after having been evacuated from Syrian army personnel, reported Reuters.
Numerous reports from various media outlets have also risen, reporting that Israeli airstrikes have targetted the main Syrian airbase in the city of Suweida, which is known to contain a large stockpile of rockets and munitions.
Correspondents of various media outlets continue to flood social media outlets with reports and videos showcasing strikes and artillery shelling targeting various positions in Syria, attributing these attacks to Israel.
This is the first time that Israel has attempted to take control of the buffer zone along the Syrian-Israeli border since the 1974 establishment of the zone and deployment of UN peacekeepers.
The zone, established in the aftermath of the 1973 war by the United Nations, was officially called the Area of Separation following the Agreement on Disengagement between Israel and Syria.
The agreement established the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), which was deployed to monitor compliance with the agreement.
As of August 2024, UNDOF's 1,309 personnel include 133 civilians, 59 staff officers, and 1,117 troops.
Under the agreement, Israel remained in control of part of the Golan Heights, while Syria remained in control of another part, as the UNDOF monitored a narrow demilitarised zone between both areas.
In 1981, Israel formally annexed the part of the Golan Heights that remained under its control, a move that is still widely not recognised by the international community.
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