Israeli warplanes have carried out multiple airstrikes on military targets across southern Syria, attacking areas outside the capital Damascus and the southern province of Dera’a after a call by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for “demilitarization” of the region.
Israeli minister for military affairs Israel Katz confirmed the assaults, which hit military installations in the town of Kiswah, south of Damascus, as well as some sites in Dera’a.
Israeli paper Yedioth Ahronoth also alleged that Tel Aviv had begun implementing a scheme aimed at “entering southern Syria and controlling” it.
The developments came after Netanyahu pressed for “complete demilitarization” of southern Syria, including the provinces of Quneitra, Dara’a, and Sweida.
In 2011, the Israeli regime began backing up Takfiri terrorist groups and intensifying its deadly aggression against Syria as a means of trying to oust the Arab country’s democratically-elected government of Bashar al-Assad, which had consistently proven an opponent of Tel Aviv’s regional aggression.
Late last year, the regime ramped up its attacks across the Syrian territory even further, claiming that it sought to prevent violence inside Syria from spilling over into the occupied territories.
Israeli forces even entered the United Nations-demarcated buffer zone between Syria and the occupied Palestinian territories in the country’s Tel Aviv-occupied Golan Heights in a move that was condemned by the UN.
Meanwhile, foreign-backed militants overthrew the Syrian government amid the Israeli escalation that was targeting the country’s defensive and civilian infrastructures, setting up their own administration.
In the aftermath of the Tuesday airstrikes, however, Syria’s new authorities condemned the Israeli regime's aggression, demanding immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from the country’s territory, and warning of the consequences of the regime’s continued military presence there.
Protests over Netanyahu’s ‘demilitarization’ push
Also on Tuesday, widespread protests erupted across southern Syria in response to Netanyahu's recent remarks.
Demonstrators in cities such as Dara’a, Damascus, Sweida, and Quneitra took to the streets in defiance of Netanyahu's call, with those showing up in the capital gathering outside the United Nations office to denounce the Israeli prime minister's statements and urge an international response to Israeli violations of Syria’s sovereignty.
Many protesters emphasized Syria's right to territorial integrity and sovereignty, rejecting any foreign interference, whether by the regime or others.
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