Syrian civil war: US strikes ISIS, IDF take Mount Hermon peak

Dozens of fighters from Hezbollah's elite Radwan forces fled the Syrian city of Homs after a decision was taken with the Syrian army that the city could no longer be defended, a Syrian army officer told Reuters on Saturday.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar have issued strong warnings to Syrian factions to avoid violating existing agreements between Israel and the Syrian state in statements issued on Saturday night.

This came after Syrian factions made rapid gains against Assad, seizing the entirety of the Syrian Golan and beginning encirclement of Damascus.

Sa'ar took to X to warn Syrian factions to avoid continuing to violate the existing ceasefire between Israel and Syria from 1974.

"During the last day, armed forces entered the buffer zone on the Syrian side of the border with Israel. Among other things, attacks were carried out on the UNDF force in the area."

"Israel is troubled by the violations of the separation of forces agreement with Syria from May 1974, which also expresses a threat to its security and the security of its settlements and citizens, with an emphasis on the settlements of the Golan Heights. The State of Israel does not intervene in the internal conflict in Syria."

Rebel fighters seen in Homs countryside, in Syria, December 7, 2024 (credit: REUTERS/Mahmoud Hasano)

An offensive response

Halevi conducted a situational assessment and the approval process for defensive and offensive plans for the 210th Division alongside members of the General Staff Forum and the commanding officer of the 210th Division on Saturday on the border with Syria.

Halevi issued statements warning armed factions that violations would be met with an "offensive response," however, he also stressed that, alongside these efforts, Israel would not intervene in events in Syria.

"The primary focus is on observing Iran's movements and interests, which is our top priority. The secondary focus is on local factions who are taking control of the area, assessing their actions, behavior, and deterrence levels, and ensuring they do not mistakenly direct their actions toward us," Halevi said during a situation assessment on the border with Syria.

"We must conduct a situational assessment every few hours. At this cadence, every event here defines the new standard and causes changes. In order to understand developments, we are monitoring the situation very closely with all our intelligence-gathering capabilities."

"If such confusion does arise, there is an offensive response backed by very strong defensive responses. We must be prepared both offensively and defensively."

Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, said on Saturday it has no intention of using chemical weapons under the control of Syrian authorities "under any circumstances."

Syrian rebel groups have made major advances against the Syrian regime in southern Syria over the last two days. Many of these rebel groups who once operated near Dara’a in southern Syria near the Jordanian border had reconciled with the Syrian regime.

This reconciliation did not always go smoothly because a low-level insurgency continued since 2018 when the groups laid down their arms. This has important ramifications for Israel because the groups operate not far from the Golan border.

Dozens of Syrian troops entered Iraq through the al-Qaim border crossing in coordination with Iraqi forces, local officials and security sources told Reuters on Saturday.

Two strategically-important Russian military facilities in Syria and Moscow's very presence in the Middle East are under serious threat from rapidly advancing insurgents, Russian war bloggers have warned.

With Russian military resources mostly tied down in Ukraine where Moscow's forces are rushing to take more territory before Donald Trump comes to power in the US in January, Russia's ability to influence the situation on the ground in Syria is far more limited than in 2015 when it intervened decisively to prop up Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Druze militias have overrun most of the army bases in Syria's southern province of Suweida along the border with Jordan, leaving one major base north of the city of Suweida, Druze militia sources told Reuters on Saturday.

Khalkhala air base, north of the provincial capital in the mainly Druze-populated region, remained under army control, with forces regrouping there. The headquarters of the army's special forces unit in the city saw mass desertions, they added.

Hundreds of army troops were now sheltering in Druze community halls, the sources said.

Syrian rebels reportedly launched an operation "from several fronts" to enter the capital city of Damascus on Saturday, sources within Syrian rebel groups told Qatari state media outlet Al Jazeera. 

This is a developing story. 

Syrian rebel forces on Saturday secured Sanamayn, advancing to within 20 kilometers from the southern gate of Damascus, rebel commander Hassan Abdul Ghany said.

The Syrian army began retreating from the Quneitra province bordering Israel on Saturday, Israeli state broadcaster KAN News reported, citing Syrian opposition sources. 

Two rebels and a Syrian officer confirmed to Reuters that rebels took over the city of Quneitra in the governate of Quneitra in the Syrian Golan. 

Earlier on Saturday, the Syrian army withdrew from Daraa and Suwayda in southwestern Syria.