In the past six weeks, the Israeli military has launched at least 70 ground incursions into southwestern Syria and conducted at least 31 sets of airstrikes across Syria. The intensity of Israel’s ground and air actions in Syria has sharply increased as the country’s profoundly fragile transition seeks to pull the country back together after nearly 14 years of debilitating conflict.
Israel’s response to Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad’s fall from power on Dec. 8, 2024, was immediately made clear when the IDF launched more than 600 airstrikes across Syria in the 10 days after Assad’s departure. As its aircraft hit nearly every military base and post across the country, IDF troops crossed into Syria, occupying the entire buffer zone established by the 1974 disengagement agreement between the two countries—effectively shredding that long-standing accord. Since then, IDF forces have advanced at least 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) deeper into Syrian territory—laying minefields, paving new access roads, and triggering civilian displacement.
معهد الشرق الأوسط (MEI) هو منظمة تعليمية مستقلة وغير حزبية وغير ربحية. لا يشارك المعهد في أي أنشطة دعوية، وآراء الباحثين فيه تعبر عن آرائهم الشخصية. يرحب المعهد بالتبرعات المالية، لكنه يحتفظ بالسيطرة التحريرية الكاملة على أعماله، ولا تعكس منشوراته سوى آراء المؤلفين. للاطلاع على قائمة المتبرعين للمعهد، يرجى النقر هنا.
