Reports say that there have been hundreds of Israeli air strikes on Syria since the fall of Assad

Israeli warplanes reportedly carried out hundreds of airstrikes across Syria, including the capital, Damascus.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it had documented more than 310 raids launched by the Israeli army since the fall of the Assad regime on Sunday.

At the same time, the Israeli army confirmed that it has forces operating in Syrian territory outside the demilitarized buffer zone between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

It added that its strikes were aimed at preventing weapons from falling “into the hands of extremists” as Syria moves into the post-Assad era.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the attacks spread to Aleppo, Damascus and Hama, with more than 60 attacks occurring overnight between Monday and Tuesday alone.

It targeted military facilities of the Syrian army, including weapons depots, ammunition depots, airports, naval bases, and research centers.

Reports indicate that many of the facilities that were bombed were not only damaged, but completely destroyed.

The BBC verified videos of some of the strikes, including one that hit a Syrian seaport in Latakia.

Rami Abdel Rahman, founder of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, described the impact of the strikes as destroying “all the capabilities of the Syrian army,” and said that “Syrian lands are being violated.”

The Israeli army admitted that its forces had entered Syrian territory, but told the BBC that reports of tanks approaching Damascus were “false.”

She added that some forces were stationed inside Separation zone Which is located on the border of the Golan Heights occupied by Israel, “and then a few additional points.”

Israeli army spokesman Nadav Shoshani told the BBC: “When we say a few additional points, we are talking about the buffer zone area, or the adjacent buffer zone area.”

on monday, The Israeli army published photos of its soldiers who crossed from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights into the demilitarized buffer zone. In Syria, where United Nations peacekeeping forces are stationed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that the Israeli army's control of Syrian positions in the buffer zone is a “temporary defensive position until an appropriate arrangement is reached.”

He said: “If we can establish good-neighborly and peaceful relations with the new forces emerging in Syria, this is our desire. But if we do not do that, we will do whatever it takes to defend the State of Israel and Israel's borders.” Monday.

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Israel's entry into the buffer zone, accusing it of following an “occupation mentality” during “a sensitive period in which the possibility of achieving the peace and stability that the Syrian people have desired for many years emerged.”

This buffer zone, also known as the separation zone, was created as part of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Syria in 1974 to keep Israeli and Syrian forces separate, following Israel's previous occupation of the Golan Heights.

Israel unilaterally annexed the Golan in 1981. The move was not recognized internationally, although the United States did so unilaterally in 2019.

In response to a question about the Israeli army strikes on Monday evening, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that Israel is only interested in defending its citizens.

“This is why we attack strategic weapons systems, such as remaining chemical weapons or long-range missiles, so that they do not fall into the hands of extremists,” he added.

On Monday, the United Nations Chemicals Control Organization warned the authorities in Syria to ensure the safety of suspected stockpiles of chemical weapons.

It is not known where or how many chemical weapons Syria possesses, but former President Bashar al-Assad is believed to have maintained stockpiles of them.

The Israeli attacks come after Syrian opposition fighters seized the capital, Damascus He overthrew Bashar al-Assad's regime over the weekend. He and his father have held power in the country since 1971.

Forces led by the Islamist opposition group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham entered Damascus in the early hours of Sunday morning, before appearing on state television to announce that Syria was now “free.”