Israel’s airstrike near a town located west of Daraa in southern Syria on Tuesday, carried a political message backed by military force, political sources in Tel Aviv said on Wednesday.
The strike signaled a red line that no military force would be allowed to cross in the Yarmouk Valley, whether it belonged to the Syrian government or rogue militant groups, the sources claimed.
According to the sources, multiple armed factions are operating in southern Syria, challenging government forces in the area.
Israel, they said, is determined to confront these groups and make it clear that “playing with Israel comes at a heavy price.”
The Israeli military said on Tuesday that its warplanes had struck former Syrian army positions near the town of Sa’sa in southern Syria.
In a statement issued in the evening, the military said the attack involved nine airstrikes and was carried out under the direction of the Israeli army’s 210th Division. It added that operations would “continue to eliminate any threats to Israel.”
The Israeli military said it targeted “combat equipment belonging to the former Syrian regime,” without providing further details on the nature of the assets.
Israeli Army Radio reported that the airstrikes hit three Syrian tanks near Sa’sa, located about 20 kilometers from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The tanks were reportedly loaded with weapons and ammunition but had not yet been integrated into the Syrian government’s new military forces.
The Israeli military confirmed that the raids were aimed at preventing the tanks from reaching Syrian government troops or other groups described as “terrorist.”
Other military sources acknowledged that the strike was part of a broader message Israel has been sending to the new leadership in Damascus since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
The message, they said, is that Israel maintains a strong presence in Syria and, through its campaign against Hezbollah and Iran, played a role in the regime’s downfall—making it clear that any attempt to ignore Israel will not be tolerated.