TEHRAN/DAMASCUS -- In recent months, southern Syria has become a battleground not only for military confrontation but for geopolitical ambitions driven by Israel and the regime ruling Damascus, backed by extremist factions linked to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Al-Qaeda, and Daesh. 
The fragile fabric of the region continues to unravel amid intensifying Israeli military incursions and the Damascus regime’s brutal tactics, with devastating consequences for the local population, especially the Druze community.
A Hebrew-language media report has exposed the extent of Israeli interference in southern Syria, revealing Tel Aviv’s coercive demands to the Damascus regime — represented by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham-linked power structure — to fully disarm the south and restrict Syrian military presence to nominal internal security forces. 
The Israeli mandate explicitly forbids the Syrian army, a conglomerate that includes takfiri militias integrated under the regime’s control, from entering southern regions. Instead, control is to be delegated to local police forces primarily drawn from Druze communities, effectively sidelining the Syrian army and enabling Israeli influence under the guise of maintaining “security.”
This strategic move is part of Israel’s broader plan to fragment Syria further, weaken Damascus’s sovereignty, and entrench its own military presence along the border. 
Israeli troops have advanced alarmingly deep into Syrian territory, recently reaching Ras al-Nabaa near Damascus — marking a second major incursion within a week. Such maneuvers signal Israel’s intent to establish permanent footholds to launch deeper operations in Syria, undermining the country’s territorial integrity.
Qatana, a strategic town formerly housing elite Syrian Republican Guard divisions and Palestinian Liberation Army units, now 

faces the threat of Israeli occupation. 
Control of this area would grant Israel key access corridors to Damascus, endangering the HTS regime’s hold and signaling an aggressive escalation. Simultaneously, new Israeli outposts and electronic warfare systems near the Golan Heights are disrupting communications and consolidating Tel Aviv’s grip over critical border areas.
The Damascus regime, controlled by a coalition of takfiri and other extremist groups allied with the HTS and linked to Al-Qaeda and Daesh, continues its merciless campaign against southern Syria’s population. 
The recent massacre of hundreds of Druze civilians in Sweida, carried out by regime loyalists and armed Bedouin militias, has pushed the Druze closer to seeking protection from Israeli forces — a tragic irony given Israel’s broader colonial and expansionist designs.
This massacre, reportedly greenlit by both Washington and Tel Aviv, reveals the dark alliance between imperialist powers and extremist factions within the Damascus regime. It reflects a cynical strategy to sow sectarian division, weaken resistance, and pave the way for Israeli control under the pretext of “security” and “stability.”
Further complicating the situation, Israel’s collaboration with local Druze militias, including the Men of Dignity group, involves supplying weapons and medical aid while simultaneously maintaining pressure on Damascus through military strikes against pro-regime forces. Israeli drones have targeted Damascus-allied factions seeking to expand control, deepening the chaos.
The so-called David’s Corridor project — aiming to connect Israeli-occupied Golan Heights with U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria — embodies Tel Aviv’s imperialist vision for permanent fragmentation and occupation of Syrian territory. It reveals Israel’s intent not merely to secure its borders but to control vast swaths of Syrian land, destabilizing the country and enabling continuous conflict.
The Damascus regime, led by Abu Muhammad al-Jolani — a former Daesh commander— remains a puppet of foreign imperialist agendas. Installed with backing from Israel, the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey, this regime has overseen a 14-year campaign of repression and terror aimed at crushing Syrian sovereignty and resistance.
The alliance between Israel and the Damascus regime, mediated through extremist groups linked to HTS and other terrorist organizations, has resulted in a humanitarian catastrophe. Southern Syria is left caught between brutal military occupation, sectarian violence, and a geopolitical game that prioritizes imperialist interests over the lives and rights of Syrians.
International actors must urgently condemn Israel’s aggressive incursions and the Damascus regime’s extremist proxies for their roles in perpetuating conflict and suffering. Only a unified Syrian resistance, free from foreign occupation and extremist domination, can restore peace and sovereignty to this war-torn region.