The IDF issued has now reportedly issued a statement on Sunday announcing that it had captured territory in the Golan Heights on the Syrian side of the border following the collapse of the Assad regime.
This is the first occasion that Israel has captured territory in Syria since the 1973 war.
An Israeli official informed me that Israel had informed the United States in advance of its operation to assume control of the buffer zone on the Syrian border and several other critical locations on the Syrian side of the border.
According to Israeli and U.S. officials, Israel informed the Biden administration that this is a transitory measure that will persist for a few days to a few weeks until the security situation along the border is resolved.
The 1974 separation of forces accord between Israel and Syria established a buffer zone in the Golan Heights along the border.
Since that time, the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) has been stationed on both sides of the buffer zone.
In recent days, rebel factions have attacked at least four UNDOF positions on the Syrian side of the buffer zone, according to Israeli and U.S. officials.
The UN Observer Force was assisted by the IDF in repelling the attacks.
Israeli officials have stated that Israel has recently sent communications to numerous rebel groups in Syria, including HTS, warning them that the IDF will take action if they violate the Israeli-Syrian truce agreement by moving in close proximity to the border.
According to Israeli officials, the IDF also assumed responsibility for the strategic Syrian military outpost on Mount Hermon, which is the highest point on the frontier between the two countries.
The IDF conducted dozens of air strikes against Syrian military bases, facilities, and weapon depots, prompting residents of Syrian villages and towns along the frontier to remain in their homes until further notice.
According to Israeli officials, the missiles were directed at Syrian army air defense systems, artillery batteries, and facilities that were previously associated with Syria’s chemical weapons program.
[READ MORE: Assad on Brink of Collapse as Rebels Close in from Two Directions]
