Israel–Syria border

The sun rises over homes covering a hill in the town of Majdal Shams, near the "Alpha Line" that separates the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights from Syria, early Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israeli forces will stay in a buffer zone on the Syrian border until another arrangement is in place "that ensures Israel's security."

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) condemned a decision by Israel on Sunday to expand settlement building in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

The UAE warned that the move will lead to increased tensions and an escalation in the region.

The Turkish embassy in Syria's capital Damascus is set to open on Saturday, Türkiye's foreign minister announced late on Friday.

"They (embassy staff) are on their way as a team. The embassy will start operations tomorrow," Hakan Fidan told private broadcaster NTV.

Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu told U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan today that it is necessary to “deter any terrorist activity” from Syria against Israel after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

Türkiye has strongly condemned Israel's military attacks and advances in the Syrian territories following the collapse of the Assad administration in the Middle Eastern country.

Loud explosions were heard in Damascus following a series of Israeli airstrikes targeting key sites in Syria. Reports indicate that Israel carried out attacks on military research facilities, weapons depots, and airbases, aiming to prevent advanced weaponry from falling into extremist hands.

This picture taken from the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights shows smoke billowing above the Syrian Governorate of Quneitra during Israeli bombardment, on Dec. 9, 2024

A war monitor said Tuesday that Israel had "destroyed the most important military sites in Syria" with a flurry of air strikes since the fall of president Bashar al-Assad's government.

Israeli ground forces advanced beyond the demilitarized zone on the Israel-Syria border over the weekend, marking their first open entry into Syrian territory since the October 1973 war, according to two Israeli officials who spoke anonymously to The New York Times.

Israel struck the Syrian Scientific Research Center (SSRC) in Damascus on Sunday afternoon.

The Lebanese group Hezbollah launched over 50 rockets targeting homes in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, according to the Associated Press. The attack followed a meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and mediators from Egypt and Qatar, who continue efforts to broker a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict, despite ongoing challenges from both Hamas and Israel.