An Israeli helicopter landed Monday overnight near one of the military sites in the Damascus area, sources told the Russian news agency Sputnik on Tuesday. "Soldiers entered the site and left after about 20 minutes, heading toward southern Syria," the report claimed. Reports of Israeli strikes in the Sitt Zaynab area on the outskirts of Damascus arrived shortly after.
Hezbollah-affiliated outlet Al-Mayadeen reported on Tuesday on additional IDF advances in the buffer zone area in Syria. According to the report, Israeli forces "entered the front neighborhoods of the town of Hader."
Israeli officers have already met with local village leaders and elders in the area, following a video showing Druze residents in Hader requesting that Israel annex the area.
Tribal sources in Syria told Lebanon's Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Akhbar that some view a temporary Israeli presence in Druze villages as a preferable alternative to a takeover by rebel group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham in those areas until minority protection mechanisms in the country are established.
Syrian Druze calling for Israel to annex them
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
However, the report noted that village heads rejected the annexation angle, stressing their connection to Syria in their statements.