DAMASCUS - Israeli forces have established military positions in a strategic village southwest of Damascus, about 20 km from the Syrian capital, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Monday.
According to the Britain-based war monitor, the posts were set up on Aug 21 in Rakhlah, a village in the Mount Hermon area which overlooks three key roads linking Damascus with Lebanon's Baalbek and Beirut.
The observatory said the move gives Israel a "significant strategic advantage," placing its forces within artillery range of vital highways, including the Beirut-Masnaa and Beirut-Zahle routes, which are considered essential supply lines for Hezbollah.
It added that the deployment appears to be part of Israel's wider strategy to encircle the Lebanese group and cut its potential supply routes.
Syrian condemnation
Later on Monday, Syria's foreign affairs authorities condemned what they described as Israeli military incursions in the southern region, including the countryside of the capital Damascus, calling them a "dangerous escalation" and a blatant violation of the country's sovereignty.
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In a statement carried by state news agency SANA, the foreign affairs authorities said Israeli forces made a ground incursion into Beit Jinn in the countryside of Damascus and took control over the Tal Bat al-Wardeh area in the countryside of Quneitra province.
The statement warned that such actions "represent a direct threat to peace and regional security," accusing Israel of pursuing a "hostile approach" in defiance of international law and the sovereignty of Syria.
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"Syria affirms that the continuation of these violations undermines stability in the region," the statement said, calling on the United Nations (UN) and the UN Security Council to intervene immediately to deter Israel from further actions.
These Israeli ground deployments follow months of repeated airstrikes in southern Syria targeting military headquarters, Sweida and Daraa provinces, and sites linked to weapons and military infrastructure.
