In a dramatic response to the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime, Israeli Air Force (IAF) fighter jets conducted extensive airstrikes across Syria on Sunday, targeting weapon stockpiles and military infrastructure that Israel feared could fall into the hands of hostile forces.

Dozens of IAF aircraft struck numerous targets described as “strategic weapons,” including advanced missile storage sites, air defense systems, and weapon production facilities, according to defense sources. Reports also indicated that Israeli jets targeted a chemical weapons site overnight Sunday.

Key sites hit in the strikes included the Khalkhala air base north of Sweida, where Syrian forces had reportedly abandoned large stockpiles of missiles and munitions. In Damascus, strikes on the Mezzeh airbase targeted ammunition depots, while additional attacks focused on a government research center and a security complex in the Kafr Sousa district. These facilities were believed to house sensitive military data and guided missile components.

Local media and social media footage captured the intensity of the strikes, which caused significant damage to infrastructure and military facilities in southern Syria’s Daraa and Suwayda Governorates.

The IDF also seized control of a buffer zone in the Golan Heights near the Israel-Syria border on Sunday. The IDF described the deployment as a temporary defensive measure to prevent armed groups from exploiting the power vacuum left by Assad’s fall.

The buffer zone, established under the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement, had remained neutral territory for nearly 50 years. This marked the first time Israeli forces had stationed troops there since the agreement, though the IDF has conducted brief incursions in the past.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visiting the Golan Heights, explained the necessity of the deployment. “This area has been controlled for nearly 50 years by a buffer zone. This agreement has collapsed, and the Syrian soldiers have abandoned their positions,” he said.

The IDF coordinated its actions with the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) and notified the United States of its plans, describing the move as temporary, lasting only a few days to weeks.

Amid the chaos, the United States also launched strikes on Islamic State (ISIS) targets in central Syria. According to the U.S. military, more than 75 targets were hit using various aircraft, including B-52 bombers and F-15 fighter jets. The strikes targeted ISIS leaders, operatives, and camps.

A senior Biden administration official confirmed efforts to secure and destroy chemical weapons left behind by the Assad regime. “We are doing everything we can to ensure that those materials are not available to anyone and are cared for,” the official said.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)