Elite Units and Tanks: IDF Deployment across Syrian Border Signals Strategic Shift

December 9, 2024

by: Yoav Zitun ~ Ynetnews

Monday, 9 December 2024 | In a rapid and calculated move, elite Israel Defense Forces [IDF] units—special forces, armored brigades and paratroopers—have deployed to critical points across Syrian territory, including the summit of Mount Hermon and areas beyond the Golan Heights buffer zone.

These operations, executed without resistance following the hasty retreat of Assad’s forces, aim to secure key positions ahead of advancing Syrian rebel groups. The IDF plans to continue these maneuvers in the coming days to strengthen its foothold in the region.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Air Force [IAF] is unleashing waves of strikes across Syria, including precise hits on Damascus. Among the reported targets is the “Security Quarter” in the Syrian capital, home to Assad regime intelligence facilities and customs offices. Sources told Reuters that Israel also struck Syria’s main military research center, which Iran allegedly used for missile development.

The IDF has described its actions as a temporary defensive deployment in the buffer zone, prompted by sightings of unidentified armed Syrians over the weekend. “We are working to neutralize threats in Syria, where the situation is currently chaotic,” the IDF said. “We’ve been closely monitoring developments and coordinating with other forces in the region to avoid unnecessary friction.”

The IDF emphasized its ongoing strikes in Syria, designed to remove immediate threats to Israel. “Iranian influence in the region has weakened, and the Shiite axis has fractured,” the army explained. “We are witnessing a monumental and dramatic shift. An Islamist force has risen in Syria, and we are closely observing its evolution.”

Acknowledging its forces have taken strategic positions near the Syrian border, the IDF explained this was a necessary move to boost regional security. Deployment was approved by senior Israeli political leadership. The IDF also clarified that the rebel groups advancing in southern Syria, from Daraa to the Golan Heights, are not affiliated with the extremist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) organization led by Abu Mohammed al-Golani. “These consist of a mix of groups with varying ideologies,” according to the IDF.

Meanwhile, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi addressed new Golani Brigade recruits at the Tel Hashomer recruitment center in central Israel, highlighting the army’s multi-front challenges. “The IDF is fighting on four fronts—the West Bank [Judea and Samaria], Gaza, Lebanon and as of tonight, Syria,” he said.

“Soon, this responsibility will fall to you. Our excellent ground forces—infantry, armor, engineering and artillery—work together seamlessly with other branches of the IDF, including air, naval and intelligence forces. Even after a challenging year, and following a very difficult day last Simchat Torah [Rejoicing in the Torah], the IDF is moving forward strongly to defend the nation.”

In a significant escalation, the IDF issued urgent warnings to residents in five villages near the Israeli border, urging them to remain indoors. “Urgent warning to residents of southern Syria in the villages of Ofaniyah, Quneitra, Al-Hamidiyah, Samadaniyah Al-Sharqiyah and Al-Qahtaniyah,” wrote IDF Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee. “The fighting in your area is forcing IDF movements, but we have no intention of harming you. For your safety, stay indoors until further notice.”

The capture of Mount Hermon and control over the buffer zone were unanimously approved by the Security Cabinet. The IDF reiterated that it is not intervening in Syria’s internal conflict but will act decisively to safeguard the buffer zone and protect Israel and its citizens. Additionally, the IDF has reportedly warned Syrian rebels in the Golan Heights, who toppled the Assad regime early Sunday, not to cross the Alpha Line, marking the start of the demilitarized zone.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held meetings in Jerusalem on Sunday with families of Israeli hostages, claiming that the fall of the Assad regime—partly due to Israel’s firm actions against Hezbollah and Hamas—could help advance negotiations for their release.

Earlier, IDF ground forces entered Syrian territory, with Ynetnews reporting that Sayeret Shaldag, the IAF commando unit, successfully captured the Syrian Mount Hermon summit. This strategic operation aimed to enhance the IDF’s control over the region, particularly on the summit, which provides unparalleled observation and fire control over other Hermon ridges. The move coincided with a wave of IAF strikes targeting airports in Damascus and southern Syria, as well as rural areas in Daraa and Sweida, according to Arab reports.

The ground capture of Mount Hermon was not an isolated event. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an oppositional-affiliated war monitor, reported that Israeli forces advanced into various locations in the Quneitra countryside, using tanks and armored vehicles to reach as far as the Al-Raqad Bridge.

Israeli units reportedly approached civilian homes in the Al-Hamidiyah village, north of Quneitra. Reports claim the forces shot and killed a young man from Jabatha in northern Quneitra and detained residents of Rasm al-Rawadi village, gathering them at the local school.

In essence, the IDF is conducting operations along a 50-mile [80-kilometer] stretch of the Syrian border, securing critical positions to prevent them from falling into the hands of armed rebels following the collapse of Assad’s forces. The most strategically significant of these locations is the Mount Hermon summit, under Assad regime control for over 50 years, and considered a vital strategic post.

Reports suggest the IDF has also conducted airstrikes near Damascus, targeting weapons depots and surface-to-surface missile sites. Ynetnews military analyst Yossi Yehoshua noted that one target included Al-Mezzeh, a key Syrian air force base previously hit by Israel.

Another target, according to Syrian sources, was the Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC), also known as “CERS,” near Damascus. Although officially a civilian research institute, the SSRC has long been suspected of serving as a hub for weapons development for the Syrian military, Iran and Hezbollah, leading to its frequent targeting by Israel in recent years.

The opposition-affiliated Syrian outlet Voice of the Capital reported that Israel is systematically dismantling all remnants of Assad’s military infrastructure in southern Syria. This includes direct strikes on air defense systems, missile warehouses and production facilities—essentially anything connected to the development of weapons capable of threatening Israel. The outlet also claimed discussions are underway for a Russian–Israeli agreement to transfer strategic sites in rural Daraa and Quneitra, including Tel al-Hara, to Israeli control.

Prime Minister Netanyahu, accompanied by Defense Minister Israel Katz, visited Mount Bental in the Golan Heights near the Syrian border Sunday morning. Northern Command Chief Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin briefed them on the unfolding situation. Netanyahu hailed the developments as “a historic day in the annals of the Middle East.”

“The Assad regime, a central link in Iran’s axis of evil, has fallen,” Netanyahu declared. “This is a direct result of the blows we’ve dealt to Iran and Hezbollah, Assad’s main supporters. It has set off a chain reaction across the Middle East, as people seek to free themselves from oppressive tyranny.

“This creates significant new opportunities for Israel, though not without risks. Our primary mission is to defend our borders. For nearly 50 years, this area was designated as a buffer zone under the 1974 Disengagement Agreement. That agreement has now collapsed, with Syrian soldiers abandoning their positions.

“With full Cabinet approval, I instructed the IDF to seize the buffer zone and nearby commanding positions. We will not allow any hostile force to establish itself along our border. Simultaneously, we are pursuing a policy of good neighborliness, as we did during the Syrian civil war, when we established a field hospital here that treated thousands of wounded Syrians. Hundreds of Syrian children were even born here in Israel.”

Meanwhile, IDF’s Northern Command has raised its alert level and activated emergency defense protocols in the Golan Heights, preparing for potential threats from the east. Defense Minister Katz affirmed, “The prime minister and I, with Cabinet approval, instructed the IDF to secure the buffer zone and key positions to ensure the safety of all Israeli communities in the Golan Heights—Jewish and Druze alike—so they are shielded from threats on the other side.”

Posted on December 9, 2024

Source: (This article was originally published by Ynetnews on December 8, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

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