Israeli warplanes launch airstrike on southwest of Syrian capital Damascus

Israeli warplanes launched an airstrike on Tel al-Shahem, southwest of the Syrian capital Damascus, on Thursday, local sources told Anadolu.

The sources said the targeted site had been used as a military base by the Bashar al-Assad regime before its fall.

Loud explosions were heard in Damascus during the strike, the sources added.

Assad, Syria's leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party's regime, which had been in power since 1963.

The takeover came after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters captured key cities in a lightning offensive that lasted less than two weeks. A new administration led by Ahmed al-Sharaa has now taken charge.

The Israeli army has intensified its attacks on Syrian territory since Assad's fall, targeting military infrastructure and facilities while expanding control over the occupied Golan Heights.

Israel has occupied most of the Golan Heights since the 1967 Middle East war. After the Assad regime's downfall, Tel Aviv seized the demilitarized zone in Syria's Quneitra province and declared the collapse of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.