On Tuesday night, Israel launched a massive aerial assault on Syria’s capital of Damascus, as well as other cities in the south of the country. Local media sources reported strikes near Damascus, as well as the cities of Quneitra and Daraa. Israeli defense minister Israel Katz confirmed the attacks, stating that, “[A]ny attempt by the Syrian regime forces and the country's terrorist organizations to establish themselves in the security zone in southern Syria will be met with fire.”

The “security zone” refers to a large swath of southern Syria that Israel is attempting to effectively annex. Indeed, the attacks came a day after a shocking announcement by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who demanded the “complete demilitarization” of southern Syria. The demand effectively banned the new government from deploying any troops south of its own capital, while laying the groundwork for an indefinite Israeli military occupation in the area.

“Take note: We will not allow HTS forces or the new Syrian army to enter the area south of Damascus,” Netanyahu said Sunday. “We demand the complete demilitarization of southern Syria.” On Monday, Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar told a press conference in Brussels that the new Syrian government is “a jihadist Islamist terror group from Idlib that took Damascus by force.”