Israeli tanks reach outskirts of Damascus as jets hammer Syria

Beirut: An Israeli military incursion into southern Syria has reached about 25 kilometers (16 miles) southwest of the capital Damascus, news reports said on Tuesday.

According to pan-Arab Al-Mayadeen news outlet Israeli tanks have advanced beyond the boundaries of the Golan Heights buffer zone where it moved troops into earlier this week following the collapse of Assad government in Damascus.

According to these reports, the tanks progressed past the abandoned buffer zone town of Qunaitra before stopping near Qatana, a southern Syria city just over 21 kilometers away from the capital city.

The report further that Israeli troops also entered several villages on the outskirts of Damascus.Despite the claims, the IDF has indicated that it only plans to operate on the ground inside the buffer zone, and not beyond it.

Israel started the push to expand its occupation of Syria on Sunday, after rebels, led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), announced the fall of Syrian government following a rapid two-week offensive that led to the capture of Damascus.

Israeli forces seized the buffer zone that separates the occupied Golan Heights from the rest of Syria in violation of a 1974 disengagement agreement between the Tel Aviv and Syria.

They also captured the strategic Mount Hermon in Golan, which provides high ground for the entire area.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the Syrian Golan Heights will remain part of the occupied territories "for eternity."

Earlier Hebrew media reported that Unit 5101, more commonly known as Shaldag, has reached the summit of Syria's Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights. 

Analysts have said the land grab signals new Israeli ambitions to occupy and annex large parts of Syria after the fall of its government. 

It is the first time Israeli forces have taken up positions beyond the buffer zone since it was established in 1974.

Israel further exploited the crisis in Syria with airstrikes on key sites. Israel's air raids on the Mazzeh district of the capital, Damascus, with explosions heard in the vicinity. 

Separately, regional intelligence sources told news agencies that Israeli fighter jets targeted the Syrian air base of Khalkhala in southern Syria.

By Sunday evening, Israeli warplanes bombarded more Syrian army sites in Damascus.

Netanyahu has hailed the fall of President Assad as a "historic day."

"This of course creates new, very important opportunities for Israel," he said. 

Opposition leader Yair Lapid said they showed why "it is more important than ever to create a strong regional coalition, with Saudi Arabia and the countries of the Abraham Accords, to work together".

"The Iranian axis has weakened significantly, and Israel needs to strive for an overall political achievement," he added.

Other Israeli politicians called on the government in Tel Aviv to take control of the entire Golan Heights. 

Government minister Amichai Chikli wrote in a social media post that there must be a new Israeli "defense zone" at the 1974 ceasefire line.

A member of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, Tzvi Succot, echoed those comments, saying this measure would be "immense" during a time when the political and military cost "is likely lower than ever".

Meanwhile, former Israeli military intelligence officer Lieutenant Colonel, Mordechai Kedar, was interviewed on Sunday by Hebrew media, Kan Reshet Bet, where he claimed:  "I am in contact with the rebels in Syria and I have passed a detailed list of equipment they requested from Israel to senior officials in the country. The rebels are willing to sign a peace agreement with Israel, only if they control Syria and Lebanon."