Six Syrians have been martyred in exchanges of attacks between Israeli soldiers and Syrian fighters. The attacks between Israeli soldiers and Syrian fighters near the Syrian border took place after the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an armed group in Syria, took control of the country’s administration following the sudden end of former President Bashar al-Assad’s rule in December. Israel’s extremist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sent military forces to the Syrian border, stating that he will not allow HTS or the Syrian military to control the southern regions of Syria. However, Syria maintains that it has no intention of creating unrest against Israel.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry confirms that 6 Syrians were martyred in confrontations near the Syrian border. The ministry said that many others were seriously injured in an Israeli attack on a town called Koya, and the number of martyrs could still increase. The ministry has called for an international investigation into Israeli attacks in Syrian territory. The ministry has also described the Israeli action as an act of aggression against Syria’s sovereignty. Before the attack on Koya, two military bases in Homs, Syria, namely T4 and Tadmur military bases, were also attacked.
Even during President Assad’s rule, Israel had been carrying out air strikes on Syria for many years. These attacks were mainly targeted at Iranian-linked military bases and weapons depots, under the pretext of stopping the supply of weapons to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. With the end of Assad’s rule, the route for Iran to supply weapons to Lebanon through Syria has also been closed. However, Israel continues to attack Syrian military bases. The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has noted that there is a high risk of the situation worsening due to Israel’s ongoing attacks on Syria. He stated that the EU does not believe Israel needs to attack Syria in this situation, as Syria has not attacked Israel.
Syria’s Interior Ministry has called on its citizens not to comply with Israeli demands if Israel forces them to leave their residential areas for other regions.
