Tel Aviv halts communication with Syria's transitional government, calls for demilitarized south

An Israeli senior official revealed on Wednesday that all channels of communication with Syria's transitional government have been severed, in what observers described as a significant escalation. This came alongside a series of Israeli airstrikes targeting military sites in Damascus and Sweida.

Al-Hadath TV quoted the Israeli official as saying, "Tel Aviv has halted all forms of communication with the Syrian administration," adding that Israel is coordinating with the United States to reassess its approach toward Damascus, especially in the south.

The official stressed that the coming phase would involve the removal of heavy weaponry from southern areas, particularly Daraa, affirming that "the Syrian army coordinated with us before entering Sweida, but then violated the agreement," according to his statement.

He noted that Washington "understood and responded positively to the reasons behind our intervention in Sweida," referring to support for the Druze community there, which is witnessing unprecedented escalation.

In the same context, Israel announced that it had carried out airstrikes targeting the General Staff complex and the Presidential Palace in the capital, Damascus, in addition to strikes on other sites in Sweida. The attacks coincided with reported clashes in Damascus, according to activists.

Meanwhile, the Druze community in Israel, through Hebrew-language media outlets, called on its members to prepare to cross the border into Syria in support of the Druze in Sweida.

Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel, stated: "We will do whatever is necessary, including crossing the fence... What happened on October 7 is now happening in Sweida."

These statements came in parallel with a report by Israel’s Walla news site, which revealed that dozens of Druze community members breached the border fence between Israel and Syria from Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights.

The report stated that between 20 to 30 people had already crossed into Syrian territory on Tuesday in protest of the transitional government forces entering Suwayda. Israeli soldiers in the area reportedly chose not to intervene at the moment of crossing.

These developments come amid escalating tensions in southern Syria, raising fears of a broader conflict that could spiral into an open regional war.

A-H 

ANHA