Israel appears to be taking advantage of the uprising in Syria

After launching hundreds of airstrikes on Syrian military assets and seizing positions including the top of a mountain with an uninterrupted line of sight to the capital Damascus, Israel appears to be taking advantage of what it sees as a unique moment of opportunity.

Syria’s command structures were in disarray and key positions apparently remained unmanned after the fall of the Assad regime.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) says its air force and navy have carried out more than 350 attacks since Saturday evening, eliminating an estimated 70-80% of Syria’s strategic military assets from Damascus to Latakia.

This included fighter planes, radar and air defense sites, naval ships and weapons stockpiles, the IDF said.

“The Navy destroyed the Syrian fleet last night with great success,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said.

The IDF has also moved ground troops east from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to a demilitarized buffer zone in Syria and, it now admits, just beyond.

Katz said he had ordered the army to “establish a sterile defense zone in southern Syria, free of weapons and terrorist threats, without a permanent Israeli presence.”