The Tactics Institute for Security and Counter-Terrorism strongly condemned ongoing Israeli attacks inside Syrian territory. This resulted in ongoing violations within and near the demilitarised zone established by a ceasefire agreement in 1974.
Such actions are unacceptable and may result in further destabilising an already fragile situation. The attacks heights regional tension and undermine efforts toward de-escalation and a sustainable political transition.
The statement follows a recent wave of airstrikes and ground attacks targeting southern Syria, which the Israeli Government states are required for national security and to keep weapons out of the hands of armed parties hostile to Israel. The latest Israeli attack happened, hitting a weapons storage building near the coastal city of Latakia. Several hours later, the Israeli army executed operations in two towns in southern Syria, bombing warehouses, before withdrawing, according to news reports.
Syrian news agency SANA reported that Israeli shelling overnight in Syria’s southern province of Deraa claimed the lives of nine people, and conveyed a ground incursion by Israel’s soldiers in the region as the most serious since the removal of former President Bashar al-Assad. Syria’s Foreign Ministry stated that the overnight attacks were an “unjustified escalation”, describing them as “a deliberate attempt to destabilise Syria and exacerbate the suffering of its people”.
Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged for the “total demilitarisation” of large areas in southern Syria controlled by the “new regime” that removed former dictator Bashar Assad in December. At the Arab States meeting in Cairo dedicated to Gaza reconstruction, Syria’s transitional leader Ahmad al-Sharaa reportedly reaffirmed Syria’s commitment to the 1974 ceasefire agreement, accusing Israel of decades-long violations of Syrian rights.
The Tactics Institute calls on Israel to cease violations, maintain its international obligations and abstain from unilateral measures that exacerbate conflict. We call for all parties to conflict across the area to respect Syria’s sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity. Constructive talks and strict compliance with international agreements and international law are necessary for security.
