Israeli tanks have reportedly advanced six miles into Syrian territory on Tuesday, a claim swiftly denied by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
According to a Syrian security source, Israeli troops were said to have reached Qatana, a town approximately 13 miles from Damascus and six miles beyond the demilitarised zone that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria.
On Sunday, Israel instructed its forces to enter the UN-patrolled buffer zone and secure the Syrian side of the Golan Heights. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s claim to the territory, declaring on Monday that the Golan Heights, two-thirds of which have been under Israeli occupation for nearly 60 years, would remain “part of the Jewish state for eternity.”
The IDF dismissed reports of tank movements towards Damascus. “The reports circulating in the media about the alleged advancement of Israeli tanks towards Damascus are false.
IDF troops are stationed within the buffer zone, as stated in the past,” an IDF official told The Telegraph on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, confirmed that Israeli airstrikes have been targeting former Assad regime military installations throughout Syria to prevent their capture by extremist groups.
The strikes reportedly hit suspected chemical weapons storage facilities, research centres, air defence systems, and other military sites. Over 300 such attacks have been reported since Syrian rebels seized control of Damascus on Sunday.
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