Israel intensifies airstrikes and deploys troops deeper into Syria

Israel intensified its strikes on military sites in Syria on Tuesday, targeting hundreds of locations and deploying more troops into the country, News.az reports citing foreign media.

The offensive targeted warehouses and weapons depots in several parts of Syria including the capital Damascus, bringing total Israeli airstrikes in the past two days to at least 310, according to the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Israel's Army Radio, citing an unnamed defense official, described Tuesday's attack as one of the biggest in the airforce's history. Syria television also reported Israeli airstrikes on Damascus and its suburbs on two separate occasions.

Israel seized a buffer zone along its border with Syria, an area the army says is about 155 square miles in size, a day after rebel groups toppled Bashar Assad's government on Sunday. Israel said it struck Syrian chemical weapons and missile-storage sites to make sure they don't fall into the hands of extremists, who may use them to harm the country's citizens.

Israel is wary of the opposition groups that brought down Assad's government after a rapid territorial advance. The rebels are led by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, an Islamist group originally affiliated with Al-Qaeda that's designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and many other countries.

Nevertheless, leaders of the Group of Seven, a collective of nations that includes the U.S. and U.K., are willing to support a new Syrian government - if the transition process respects the rule of law as well as religious and ethnic minorities in the country.

The G-7 "is hopeful that all the opposition groups seeking a role in governing Syria will demonstrate their commitment to the rights of all Syrians," according to a draft statement the group plans to issue later this week. The G-7 is also set to call for the safe return of the millions of Syrians who fled the country under Assad, including to European countries.

Israel's seizure of the buffer zone and its sustained attacks have drawn the ire of Arab nations including Egypt and Saudi Arabia. In a statement, the kingdom said Israel's assault showed "determination to sabotage Syria‘s chances of restoring its security, stability and territorial integrity."

Egypt also went as far as accusing Israel of seeking to "occupy more Syrian territory." The Syrian Observatory, which has been monitoring the war via a network of people on the ground, said Israeli tanks were seen in the southwestern suburbs of Damascus, a dozen miles away from the capital.

News.Az