Explosions on Mount Hermon amid conflicting accounts

Local sources in the Damascus countryside reported that sites near Jandal Castle in the Mount Hermon area of western Damascus countryside were hit by explosions shortly before publication, amid conflicting information about the nature of the incident and the party responsible.

According to one local account, the area came under shelling, while another said Israeli forces had detonated former Syrian regime military sites around the castle after taking control of parts of Mount Hermon and the surrounding area.

As of publication, no official information was available to determine the nature of the explosions or the extent of the resulting damage. Israel has also not issued a statement regarding the reports cited by local sources.

The incident took place in an area under Israeli military control since December 2024, when Israeli forces entered the buffer zone following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government and took control of the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, including its summit.

On December 17, 2024, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the summit of Mount Hermon inside Syrian territory, accompanied by Defense Minister Israel Katz. The visit came after Israeli forces took control of the area, with Israel stating at the time that its forces would remain there until an alternative security arrangement was reached.

Since then, the Mount Hermon area and western rural Damascus have witnessed repeated Israeli military movements and incursions, which have intensified this September amid Israeli military operations in parts of Quneitra and western rural Damascus.

ANHA