Israel's incursion into Syria marks the first time Israel has openly entered Syrian territory since the 1973 October War, according to two unnamed Israeli officials who spoke to the New York Times.
The Israeli deployment comes as rebel groups in Syria are making gains and President Bashar al-Assad has fled the country. The latest developments in Syria have prompted neighboring countries to brace for further regional instability.
Israeli forces have taken control of Mount Hermon on the Syrian side of the border, as well as several other locations deemed necessary to stabilize control of the area.
Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, the Israeli army's chief of staff, appeared to confirm on the evening of December 7 that Israeli forces had crossed the demilitarized buffer zone in the Golan Heights, saying Israel had "deployed troops into Syrian territory."
Israel has been operating covertly in Syria for years amid its conflict with Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group that has fought in Syria in support of Mr al-Assad's government.
Recently, the Israeli military has been more explicit about attacking sites in Syria, emphasizing targeting Hezbollah supply lines.
However, the deployment of ground forces outside the demilitarized zone on the border with Syria marks a significant change in policy, as it is the first time Israeli military forces have openly entered Syrian territory since the 1974 ceasefire agreement that formally ended the most recent war between Israel and Syria.
The Israeli air force also attacked targets in Syria to destroy Syrian government military assets that could fall into rebel hands and be seen by Israel as a strategic threat, two officials said.
These Syrian military assets have posed a risk to Israel in the past. Now, that risk could be exacerbated by extremist elements within the rebel forces who could control and use these assets against Israel.
The targets included small chemical weapons stores, mainly mustard gas and VX gas, the officials said. The Israeli military also targeted Russian-made radar batteries and anti-aircraft missile launchers, as well as Scud missile stockpiles, the two officials said.
On December 8, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he had ordered the Israeli army to "take over the buffer zone" between Israel and Syria. He said that Israeli forces had occupied military positions abandoned by the Syrian army.
The Israeli military affirms that it will not interfere in internal events in Syria but will continue to operate to protect the buffer zone, protect Israel as well as its civilians.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights - an independent monitoring agency - reported that Israeli tanks and armored vehicles have been deployed in Quneitra, an area in the Golan Heights bordering Israel, Lebanon and Jordan.
Israel captured the Golan Heights in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed most of it in 1981. The rest of the Golan Heights is controlled by Syria. Most of the world considers the area to be Israeli-occupied Syrian territory. During his first term as US president, in 2019, Donald Trump recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
