Middle East conflicts: HTS leader says Syria is not facing another war

In his effort to “change the face of the Middle East,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is apparently letting the military take massive action in Syria. Israel is establishing itself as a center of power in the region “in a way that has not been the case for decades,” said Netanyahu. “We want a different Syria” that benefits both Israel and the people of Syria.

After the overthrow of ruler Bashar al-Assad, Israel has carried out its heaviest attacks to date in Syria in recent days. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Israel attacked research centers, weapons depots, naval ships, airports and air fleets in more than 300 attacks. Apparently Israel wants to prevent the facilities from falling into the hands of Islamist militias loyal to Iran. The Israeli portal ynet reported a similar number of attacks, citing Western intelligence sources.

Israel is also taking an increasingly active role on the ground in Syria. Netanyahu recently sent armed forces into the actually demilitarized buffer zone between the occupied Golan Heights and the rest of Syrian territory. According to a report, Israel is now making further advances, although a military spokesman denies this.

The news agency Reuters reported that the Israeli military had advanced to around 25 kilometers from the capital Damascus. An Israeli military spokesman wrote in Arabic on the X platform that reports of Israeli forces approaching Damascus were “completely false.” Israeli troops are only in the buffer zone between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria and at “defense points near the border,” wrote spokesman Avichai Adraee. The aim is to protect the border with Israel. Extensions of the buffer zone are approximately 50 kilometers from Damascus.