Israel is also urging the new regime in Syria not to follow in al-Assad's footsteps, and is warning Syria against allowing Iran to "re-establish" itself. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promises that they will "respond forcefully" if it is allowed.
Israel also confirms that the military has hit several Syrian ships in attacks during the night.
IDF (Israel's military) has carried out operations in Syria in recent days to attack and destroy strategic capabilities that threaten Israel, says Defense Minister Israel Katz.
Israel has both targeted military targets across Syria and entered with ground forces in a demilitarized buffer zone on the Syrian side of the border.
Over 300 air strikes
The UK-based conflict monitor Syrian Human Rights Observatory (SOHR) counts at least 310 Israeli air strikes since Sunday. They are said to have targeted the "most important military positions" in Syria, such as air bases, weapons depots, radar installations, and naval vessels.
Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar claimed on Monday that these strikes have knocked out long-range missiles and suspected chemical weapons, "so they don't fall into the hands of extremists".
A research center in the Damascus area has been completely destroyed in the attacks, according to AFP journalists on the spot.
Reports of tanks
The Israeli announcement of an incursion onto the ground has sparked reactions from the UN, which emphasizes that Israel and Syria have an agreement on the buffer zone since 1974. Foreign Minister Sa'ar has responded that it is a temporary security measure. According to reports to The New York Times, the Israeli forces have, however, crossed the buffer zone and continued into Syrian territory.
Reports that Israeli tanks approached Damascus on Tuesday morning are denied by Israel, which claims that the forces are stationed in the buffer zone near the border between Israel and Syria.
"Reports spread by certain media that Israeli military is advancing towards or approaching Damascus are completely false. IDF forces are stationed in the buffer zone and at defense points near the border to protect Israel's borders", writes the Israeli military's spokesperson Avichay Adraee in a post on X.
