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Israeli Forces Strengthen Presence in Southern Syria... Reconnaissance Operations in "Yarmouk Basin"
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Recent field developments indicate the importance of strategic dialogue between regional and international powers to ensure regional stability and prevent weapons from falling into irresponsible hands
Israeli forces have resumed their activities in the southern Syrian region, re-entering the Yarmouk Basin area in the western part of Daraa governorate late Friday night into Saturday.
The "Daraa 24" media network reported Saturday morning that a group from the Israeli army, including several vehicles and machinery, "entered the northern side of the Mariya village within the Yarmouk Basin area."
The network indicated that Israeli forces "present at the Al-Jazeera military barracks on the outskirts of the village launched flares across the area's sky."
This coincided with the presence of Israeli reconnaissance aircraft over the Yarmouk Basin and several other areas in Daraa and Quneitra, with the flights continuing for more than an hour.
This occurs as the Israeli army announced on Friday that it had targeted two military bases in central Syria. The army statement said, "Israeli forces recently struck remaining strategic military capabilities at the Syrian military bases in Palmyra and T4," with the latter located approximately 50 kilometers west of Palmyra.
Since Bashar al-Assad's flight on December 8, Israel has launched dozens of airstrikes on military facilities belonging to the former regime in Syria. Israel maintains that it seeks to prevent the former army's weapons stockpile from transferring to the new administration.
Israeli forces have also positioned themselves in the demilitarized zone between the Israeli and Syrian sides in the Golan Heights, operating from the part of the plateau that Israel annexed in 1967 and formalized in 1981.
On February 23, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded that southern Syria be made "demilitarized," noting that his state would not accept the presence of forces from the new Syrian government south of Damascus.
The Foreign Ministry of the Syrian interim caretaker government condemned on Tuesday the Israeli raids that targeted Daraa governorate (south) the previous day, considering them an "aggressive" act targeting Syria's "stability."
The ministry stated that "these deliberate attacks, carried out without any justification, reveal Israel's complete disregard for international laws and customs, under pretexts that no longer have any credibility."
