Israel denied on Tuesday that its forces had penetrated into Syrian territory beyond the buffer zone with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, after Syrian sources said the incursion had extended to within 25 km (15 miles) of the capital Damascus.
Since Assad’s flight on Sunday ended over five decades of his family’s rule, Israeli troops moved into a demilitarised zone inside Syria established following a 1973 war. Israel calls the incursion a temporary measure to ensure border security.
Three security sources said on Tuesday the Israelis had advanced beyond the demilitarised zone. One Syrian source said they had reached the town of Qatana, several km (miles) to the east of the zone and just a short drive from Damascus airport.
But an Israeli military spokesperson said troops had not left the demilitarised zone.
“The reports circulating in the media about the alleged advancement of Israeli tanks towards Damascus are false. IDF troops are stationed within the buffer zone, as stated in the past,” an official from the Israeli Defence Forces said.
Officials say Israel, which has just agreed a ceasefire in Lebanon following weeks of fighting the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement there, does not seek conflict with the new entity in control of Damascus.
But Israeli jets have struck targets across Syria since the weekend in an apparent bid to ensure Syrian military equipment, including combat aircraft, missiles and chemical weapons, does not fall into rebel hands.
Israel welcomed the fall of Assad, an ally of its main enemy Iran, but has reacted cautiously to the leading rebel faction, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which has roots in Islamist movements including al Qaeda and Islamic State.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel would use all the tools it had to ensure its security following Assad’s fall.
(Reuters)