Israeli warplanes conduct strikes across Syria

By Burak Dag

JERUSALEM (AA) – The Israeli army carried out a series of airstrikes late Sunday across Syria targeting around 100 sites following the overthrow of the Assad regime, according to reports.

Israel launched airstrikes on dozens of strategic sites across the country after the Israeli army occupied the Syrian side of Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights.

It made maximum efforts to reduce the Syrian army’s military capacity remaining from the Assad regime, launching a large-scale wave of attacks across Syria, Israel’s Channel 12 reported.

Israeli fighter jets targeted military bases, air defense stations and intelligence headquarters as well as long- and short-range missile depots, weapons production centers and unconventional weapon stockpiles.

In addition to ground operations such as the one involving Mount Hermon and the deployment of troops in the buffer zone in the Golan Heights, the Israeli military over the past few days also targeted locations in southern Syria, from Daraa to the capital Damascus and Masyaf in the north.

The destruction of Syria's air defense systems means that Israel can carry out its airstrikes more freely, the report noted.

Before the attacks, the Israeli army issued a statement urging residents of areas near the Israeli border, including the towns and villages of Quneitra province, Al-Hamidiyah, west Samdaniyah and Al-Qahtaniyah, to stay at home.

*Writing by Esra Tekin in Istanbul