Israel Is Destroying What Is Left of Syria’s Military

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Key Points: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have launched a major operation targeting remnants of the Syrian military following the fall of Damascus to anti-government forces.

-For the first time since the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Israeli forces crossed the Golan Heights buffer zone into Syria.

-Over 350 airstrikes have been conducted, destroying key Syrian military infrastructure, including airfields, missile systems, and suspected chemical weapons sites.

-IDF Merkava tanks were also deployed near Damascus.

-While Israel claims the incursion is defensive, Arab nations have condemned the move, warning of its potential to destabilize the region.

Israeli Military Destroying Remnants of Syrian Army

After anti-government forces took the Syrian capital of Damascus on Saturday, there has been speculation that various factions – including the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group and even ISIS – could seize the remnants of the Syrian Army.

Israel has been ensuring that won’t happen, and for the first time in 50 years – since the 1973 Yom Kippur War – the Israel Defense Force (IDF) crossed the buffer zone along the Golan Heights into Syria.

The IDF announced in a post on X on Tuesday that it had carried out more than 350 aerial strikes, and stuck “A wide range of targets, including anti-aircraft batteries, Syrian Air Force airfields, and dozens of weapons production sites in Damascus, Homs, Tartus, Latakia, and Palmyra,” while “Dozens of sea-to-sea missiles with ranges of 80–190 km were destroyed. Each missile carried significant explosive payloads, posing threats to civilian and military maritime vessels in the area.”

Two Syrian Navy facilities – the Al-Bayda and Latakia ports – were reported to have been destroyed. Fifteen Syrian naval vessels were docked at those ports, but it is unclear if any of the warships took damage.

“The IDF conducted air strikes on 130 assets in Syria, including weapons depots, military structures, launchers, and firing positions,” the post continued.

Doron Kadosh, a military correspondent for Israeli radio station Galei Tzahal also posted on X, “Assad’s army: tanks, planes, helicopters, ships, air defense systems, missiles, military factories, intelligence facilities, and everything that the Syrian state’s army has held and built for decades” were being destroyed in the strikes.”

A research center, suspected of producing chemical weapons, was also among the targets hit by the IDF.

Tanks on the Move

Earlier in the day on Tuesday, it was also reported that IDF Merkava main battle tanks (MBTs) had crossed into Syria territory east of the “demilitarized zone” that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from the rest of Syria. The tanks drive just 16 miles (25 kilometers) from Damascus.

The IDF has previously announced it would operate only from within the buffer zone, but destroying the caches of Syrian military hardware – much of it supplied by Russia – has likely been a top priority. Reports on Tuesday evening suggest that little remains of Syria’s military might.

The Israeli government has also said it does not seek to become involved in the conflict and called its seizure of the buffer zone a defensive move. However, Egypt, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia were quick to condemn the incursion into Syria and warned that it could ruin Syria’s ability to restore security.

Israel’s Merkava IV tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Taken By Surprise

The rapid advance by HTS into Damascus was largely an unexpected development that resulted from Israel significantly weakening Iran in air strikes earlier this year, and the IDF’s invasion of southern Lebanon, which also crippled the Tehran-back Hezbollah. Both Iran and its proxy had helped prop up the regime of Bashar al-Assad, who was forced to flee to Moscow with his family.

Russia had also supported Assad, but its ongoing conflict in Ukraine hampered its ability to provide material aid to the Syrian government. Moscow now faces the possibility of losing its air and naval bases in the region and its warships have taken to sea in recent days.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Senior Editor focusing on defense issues for 19FortyFive. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,500 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on X: @PeterSuciu – and on Bluesky: @petersuciu.bsky.social.