Israel Occupies Several Regions In Syria After Bashar Al Assad Was Eliminated

Syrian rebels while successfully occupying Hama City on December 7, 2024. (AFP/Bakr Alkasem)

JAKARTA - Israel has occupied three new villages in southern Syria in line with Israel's move to expand military attacks on the country after Bashar Al Assad's regime rolled out of power in Syria.

Israeli soldiers seized control of Jamlah Village in Daraanya Province and the villages of Mazrat Beit Jinn and Maghar al-Mir in rural areas of Damascus, according to Anadolu reporters.

Assad, who ruled Syria by iron for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on December 8 after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus.

The takeover came after theHAyat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group seized key cities across the country in a quick attack that lasted less than two weeks.

Amid the takeover of power, Israel launched intensive airstrikes at military locations throughout Syria. The series of attacks constituted a blatant violation of Syria's sovereignty.

Israel also announced the cancellation of its troop withdrawal agreement with Syria in 1974, and deployed its troops to the demilitarized zone in the Golan Heights in Israel's 1967 occupied territory.

Israel's move was criticized by the United Nations and several Arab countries.

According to the UN Separation Observer Force (UNDOF), the buffer zone "panjangs 75 kilometers long and its width ranges from about 10 kilometers in the middle to 200 meters in the southernmost part."