Suspected Israeli air strikes hit military locations in Damascus and southern Syria during the hours after opposition forces took control of the Syrian capital, according to regional reporting that cited security officials and Israeli media. The reported targets included the Mezzeh district of Damascus, the Khalkhalah air base north of Suwayda and weapons storage facilities around military aviation sites.
Two security sources cited by Reuters said strikes believed to have been carried out by Israel targeted Mezzeh and Khalkhalah. At least six strikes were reported at Khalkhalah, a major southern air base that Syrian troops had evacuated overnight. Regional security sources said the base contained a substantial stock of missiles and shells left behind by departing government forces. The Israeli public broadcaster separately reported that Israel struck weapons and military-equipment stores at Mezzeh military airport.
Another reported strike hit the Scientific Research Center inside Damascus's security district. Israeli broadcasting described the center as a location connected to chemical-weapons and ballistic-missile programs. Al Jazeera reported fires following explosions near buildings formerly used by the Syrian military command. The supplied evidence does not establish the full extent of damage, whether anyone was killed or injured, or provide an independent on-site confirmation of every target.
The attacks unfolded amid a rapid change in control across Syria. Armed opposition factions entered Damascus after advancing through several major cities, bringing the government of President Bashar al-Assad to an end. That shift created immediate concern over who might gain access to military stockpiles abandoned by Syrian forces. Israeli media attributed the southern strikes to concern that weapons could fall into the hands of armed groups.
Israel also moved troops into the demilitarized area separating Israeli-held territory from Syria and established defensive positions. The Israeli military said the deployment responded to developments inside Syria and the possibility that armed groups could enter the buffer zone. It said its aim was to protect residents of the occupied Golan Heights and Israeli citizens, while maintaining that it would not intervene in Syria's internal events. Israeli army radio reported a substantial reinforcement in the Golan area, including the 98th Division alongside paratrooper and commando units.
The separate reports consistently identify Mezzeh and Khalkhalah as targets, but they rely partly on unnamed security sources and Israeli outlets. Responsibility for individual blasts, the precise weapons used and the condition of the alleged stockpiles remained unverified in the supplied material. The reports came on the same day opposition factions consolidated control of Damascus after taking Idlib, Hama, Daraa, Suwayda and Homs during the advance that began in late November.
