‘Israel’ Expands in Syria While the U.S. Pushes Normalization—What Will al-Sharaa Do?

From the first day of Bashar al-Assad’s fall on December 8, 2024, “Israel” has focused on striking Syrian military sites, particularly air defense systems, tanks, and heavy machinery.

Israeli airstrikes on military positions in Syria, especially in the south, have occurred intermittently alongside incursions into Quneitra and the establishment of bases in the buffer zone after Tel Aviv declared the 1974 disengagement agreement void.

Ongoing Incursions

What stood out was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s call on February 23, 2025, for a “completely demilitarized southern Syria” and his pledge to “protect the Druze community from threats.”

“Take note: We will not allow HTS forces or the new Syrian army to enter the area south of Damascus,” Netanyahu said.

“We demand the complete demilitarization of southern Syria in the provinces of Quneitra, Daraa, and Suwayda from the forces of the new regime. Likewise, we will not tolerate any threat to the Druze community in southern Syria.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar dismissed talks of a power transition in Syria as “laughable,” claiming that the new government is merely a “terrorist group from Idlib that seized Damascus by force.”

Speaking from Brussels on February 23, 2025, Sa’ar asserted that “Israel” would not compromise on its border security, alleging that Hamas and Islamic Jihad were operating in Syria to open a new front against “Israel.”

On the night of February 25, 2025, the Israeli Occupation launched a wave of airstrikes targeting the First Armored Division headquarters in al-Kiswah, southwest of Damascus, destroying several military vehicles. The same night, Israeli aircraft bombed Tell al-Hara, which overlooks the Syrian Golan Heights occupied since 1967, as well as Brigade 12 in the town of Izraa in the Daraa countryside.

From the occupied Golan, Israeli ground forces advanced toward the Majaheed military battalion in the Quneitra countryside, destroying some of its artillery before withdrawing to the occupied territories.

Public Resistance

Observers believe “Israel” is leveraging the Druze minority in as-Suwayda, using claims of protection as a pretext to expand its occupation of Syrian territory.

Israeli forces have already breached the disengagement line established under the 1974 ceasefire agreement, brokered by the UN, the U.S., and the Soviet Union.

Since mid-December 2024, Israeli troops have also stationed themselves on Mount Hermon, a strategic peak straddling Syria and Lebanon with a clear view of the occupied Golan and even Jordan.

In response to the Israeli Occupation’s claims, hundreds of Syrians took to al-Karama Square in as-Suwayda, denouncing Netanyahu’s statements about southern Syria.

Protesters in as-Suwayda held banners reading, “The Majority’s Decision: The South Will Remain Syrian as Long as Syria Exists” and “An Occupier Cannot Protect an Indigenous People.”

Demonstrations also erupted in Daraa and Damascus, condemning Netanyahu’s remarks, while university students in Homs staged protests with anti-”Israel” slogans.

As Israeli incursions push deeper into Syrian territory, ranging from two to ten kilometers, the big question looms: How long will “Israel” stay, and how will Syria’s new administration respond?

The second resolution from Syria’s National Dialogue Conference—held at the People’s Palace in Damascus on February 24-25, 2025—explicitly condemned the Israeli Occupation’s incursion. The conference demanded “Israel’s immediate and unconditional withdrawal,” rejected Netanyahu’s provocative statements, and called on the international community and regional organizations to take responsibility and pressure the Israeli Occupation to halt its aggression.

Serious Threats

Commenting on “Israel’s” escalation, military expert Colonel Ismail Ayoub warned that “Israel’s threats are serious, given its status as an expansionist occupying power, especially with unwavering Western, particularly American, support.”

“While Israel possesses a formidable air force and advanced air defense systems, Syria is currently too weak to engage in a conventional war,” he told Al-Estiklal.

Ayoub dismissed the Israeli Occupation’s proposal for a demilitarized buffer zone in southern Syria as “nonsense.”

“There are diplomatic efforts by Syria’s allies to resolve this politically.”

“Syria could offer guarantees to bring Israel back into compliance with the 1974 disengagement agreement—one it has consistently upheld. This could also enable the UN Disengagement Observer Force to redeploy effectively, ensuring security for Israel in exchange for halting its cross-border attacks,” the colonel added.

Ayoub emphasized that opening diplomatic channels with “Israel” to negotiate the future of the region is crucial. “Israel’s continued military escalation must not persist.”

“If Israel occupies areas in southern Syria, it could ignite a new front and escalate conflict—an outcome that serves neither Israel nor Syria, which is striving to rebuild a devastated country,” he concluded.

Profound Changes

Amid escalating Israeli aggression along Syria’s borders, U.S. President’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, suggested that Syria could soon join the normalization wave with “Israel.”

“Lebanon, by the way, could actually mobilize and come into the Abraham Peace Accords, as could potentially Syria. So, so many profound changes are happening,” Witkoff tells an event in Washington for the American Jewish Committee.

Earlier, on January 16, 2025, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Barbara Leaf, predicted that a peace agreement between “Israel” and Syria could be reached in the coming years.

However, many Syrian analysts argue that the current transitional administration lacks the legitimacy to pursue normalization, a step widely rejected by the Syrian people.

Despite staying silent on normalization, the new leadership in Syria emphasizes regional stability.

Yet, “Israel” continues to violate the 1974 disengagement agreement under the watch of UN forces, blatantly disregarding international law and established agreements.

Satellite imagery from Planet Labs PBC, published by Haaretz on February 18, 2025, shows the Israeli military has been constructing outposts in occupied Syrian territories.

According to the report, “Israel” has established at least seven military bases in the areas it occupies, including atop Mount Hermon.

Addressing the issue, Iraqi politician Omar Abdul Sattar proposed several options for the Syrian government in a YouTube analysis on February 26, 2025.

“Syria could offer Jordan guarantees by deploying Turkish forces along its border with Israel,” he said.

“Damascus could request the presence of Jordanian, Arab, and international forces along the Syrian-Israeli border.”

“Israel is seeking written assurances from Syria, as it aims to exploit the country’s instability,” Abdul Sattar added.

Against this backdrop, Syria’s transitional president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, visited Jordan on February 26, 2025—his third official visit after Saudi Arabia and Turkiye following Bashar al-Assad’s ouster.

During his meeting with King Abdullah II at Basman Palace in Amman, the Jordanian monarch condemned “Israeli attacks on Syrian territory” and reaffirmed Jordan’s support for Syria’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity.