Following the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria, Israel has shifted away from its longstanding strategy of containment and deterrence in the Levant toward a doctrine centred on the direct physical control of territory. Rather than relying on diplomatic guarantees or distant buffers, Israel is constructing a continuous belt of security zones along its borders, designed to keep potential threats away through permanent military presence. Nowhere is this shift clearer than in southern Syria, where Israeli forces have moved beyond the 1974 armistice line and taken control of roughly 400 square kilometres of land.
Within days of Asaad’s overthrow, Israeli army units entered the demilitarised zone and advanced well past it, at points penetrating up to nine miles into Syrian territory. Although Israeli officials describe these actions as temporary and defensive, multiple military bases have been built across southern Syria, civilian homes have been demolished to open fields of vision, and a network of permanent posts now dots the landscape, including positions on the Syrian slopes of Mount Hermon.
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For years, Israeli planners focused on countering an Iranian-backed axis that encircled the country through Lebanon, Syria and Gaza. With that axis weakened by war and political upheaval, Israel has sought to impose its own version of strategic depth by creating a controlled perimeter free of armed rivals. Israel views the new leadership in Damascus as fragile and incapable of enforcing security along the border.
As a result, Israel follows a policy of constant military pressure and territorial dominance, to keep hostile forces such as Hezbollah and Palestinian factions away from its borders. Moreover, Israeli leaders now insist that any future security arrangement must include a vast demilitarised zone stretching deep into Syrian territory.
For the people living inside this zone, the consequences have been severe. In parts of Quneitra province and neighbouring villages, Israeli soldiers have effectively replaced Syrian officials as the arbiters of daily life. Residents need permission from Israeli soldiers for even routine activities or family celebrations. There are regular night raids, searches of mobile phones and arbitrary detentions. What was once a peripheral borderland has become a tightly controlled military space.
Tensions erupted dramatically in late November during an Israeli raid on the village of Beit Jinn. The operation left at least 13 Syrians dead, among them women and children, while several Israeli soldiers were wounded. Israeli authorities said the targets were militants linked to an Islamist group, but many local residents and analysts argued that the violence stemmed from economic desperation rather than ideology. Beit Jinn relies heavily on cross-border smuggling, and the Israeli crackdown on these routes cut off vital sources of income. The ensuing mobilisation was driven by clan solidarity and self-defence, illustrating how Israel’s broad definition of security threats can collide with the realities of civilian survival.
Israel’s actions have also strained relations with its most important ally. The United States, under Donald Trump, has sought to stabilise Syria and draw its new leadership towards a pro-Western alignment. Washington has warned that undermining Damascus could squander a rare opportunity to turn a former adversary into a partner. Public and private messages from the White House have urged Israel to engage constructively with Syria and to avoid steps that could derail its recovery.
Talks mediated by the United States on a revised security arrangement have stalled, as Israel’s insistence on extensive demilitarisation and unrestricted military freedom is seen in Damascus as an unacceptable infringement on sovereignty. Americans believe Israel is overestimating a weakened Syria and is missing a chance to secure peace through cooperation.
Israel, however, believes that control of high ground and key routes gives it leverage over Damascus. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also thinks of the Israeli presence as a means of protecting the minority Druze, adding a sectarian dimension to the situation.