Israel denies pushing past Syria buffer zone, blasts the country's navy
DAMASCUS − Israel denied its forces had penetrated Syrian territory beyond a northern buffer zone after Syrian sources said the incursion had extended to within 15 miles of the capital Damascus.
After President Bashal al Assad's flight to Russia on Sunday ended more than five decades of his family's rule, Israeli troops moved into a demilitarized zone inside Syria established following a 1973 war. Israel calls the incursion a temporary measure to ensure border security.
Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesperson, said troops remained in the buffer zone and "a few additional points" in the vicinity but he denied there had been any significant push into Syria beyond the separation area.
"IDF forces are not advancing towards Damascus. This is not something we are doing or pursuing in any way," he told reporters.
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"We are not involved in what's happening in Syria internally, we are not a side in this conflict and we do not have any interest other than protecting our borders and the security of our citizens," he said.
Three security sources told Reuters on Tuesday the Israelis had advanced beyond the demilitarized zone. One Syrian source said they had reached the town of Qatana, several km (miles) to the east of the zone and just a short drive from Damascus airport.
Officials say Israel, which recently agreed a ceasefire in Lebanon following weeks of fighting the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement there, does not seek conflict with the new entity in control of Damascus.
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But Israeli jets have struck a string of targets across Syria since the weekend in an apparent bid to ensure Syrian military equipment, including combat aircraft, missiles and chemical weapons, does not fall into rebel hands.
Israeli missile ships destroyed the Syrian military fleet in an operation on Monday night as part of a broad campaign to eliminate strategic threats, Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday in Haifa.
In a statement, Katz said Israeli forces were establishing themselves in the buffer zone between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and said he had ordered a "sterile defensive zone" to be created in southern Syria, without a permanent Israeli presence, to prevent any terrorist threat.
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Israeli media reported the air force had carried out as many as 250 strikes. The military declined to confirm the number but said it was seeking to stop Syrian military weapons being seized by potential enemies.
"We're acting to prevent lethal strategic weapons from falling into hostile hands," Shoshani said.
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Israel welcomed the fall of Assad, an ally of its main enemy Iran, but has reacted cautiously to the leading rebel faction, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. HTS has roots in Islamist movements including al Qaeda and Islamic State though has sought for years to moderate its image.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel would use all the tools it had to ensure its security following Assad's fall.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Israel attacks Syria's navy, denies pushing toward Damascus
