The IDF Northern Command activated a contingency plan to bolster defenses along the Israel-Syria border following the Assad Regime’s collapse. The emergency measures aim to thwart any potential incursions into Israel from Syrian territory, Ynet reports.
Israeli forces reportedly crossed the 1974 ceasefire line on the Golan Heights to establish defensive positions in the demilitarized zone. Artillery fire was used to deter hostile forces, and airstrikes targeted Syrian arms depots to prevent them from falling into rebel hands.
According to foreign sources, Israeli tanks and infantry units were mobilized to the Alpha Line on the Golan Heights as part of the new deployment.
Next, Israel may consider taking over some areas inside Syria as a buffer zone to counter emerging threats, journalist Nadav Eyal wrote. Alternatively, Israel could declare a demilitarized zone on the Syrian side of the border and enforce it through artillery and airstrikes, he said.
Israel warns Syria rebels
Earlier warnings from Israel to Syrian rebel forces underscored that crossing the Alpha Line would trigger strong IDF action. Journalist Itay Blumental implied that Israel maintains direct communication with rebel groups in southern Syria.
Overnight, Israeli fighter jets conducted several strikes near Damascus, targeting advanced weaponry and production facilities, Ynet reported. The IDF also bombed chemical weapons labs to prevent their capture by rebel forces, N12 News said.
The collapse of the Assad regime marks a seismic shift in the Middle East, dealing a severe blow to Iran. Tehran has lost a critical regional stronghold and a key component of its proxy network, which has been central to advancing its ambitions in the region.
In a telling moment of change, images from Damascus showed residents tearing down posters of late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Iranian General Qassem Soleimani at the Iranian embassy compound, N12 said.
While the latest developments offer major strategic advantages for Israel, they also carry risks, as some rebel factions are hostile and aligned with extremist ideologies.
Regardless of this, the fall of the Syrian regime marks a significant regional transformation, with the Iran axis crumbling in less than a year. [Here’s more on the catastrophe suffered by Iran’s key proxies in the past year]
