Israeli forces destroyed the Syrian military fleet in an operation on Monday night as part of a broad campaign to eliminate strategic threats to Israel, defence minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday, during a visit to a naval base in Haifa.

“The IDF (military) has been operating in Syria in recent days to strike and destroy strategic capabilities that threaten the State of Israel. The navy operated last night to destroy the Syrian fleet with great success,” Katz said.

Reuters reports that in a statement he said Israeli forces were establishing themselves in the buffer zone between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and said he had ordered a “sterile defensive zone” to be created in southern Syria, without a permanent Israeli presence, to prevent any terrorist threat to Israel.

  • superkret@feddit.org
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    16 days ago

    Didn’t Israel occupy the Golan Heights, saying they need it as a buffer zone?
    And then they established a “demilitarized zone” between Syria and the Golan Heights, to “protect themselves”.
    Which they have now occupied with their military.
    Now they want a buffer inside Syria, to protect the buffer of their buffer.
    And they’re also bombing Damascus “defensively”.

    I don’t know what thought process leads to believing that bombing the capital of another country, which hasn’t attacked you, is self defense.
    But I guess we in the west are expected to twist our minds around the idea a little.

      • kautau@lemmy.world
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        16 days ago

        “Israel can occupy a few more thousand square miles of Syria, as a treat”

    • InfiniteGlitch@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      16 days ago

      I don’t know what thought process leads to believing that bombing the capital of another country, which hasn’t attacked you, is self defense.

      The same twisted and ill mindset that claims “bombing refugee camps full of innocent men, women and children is self-defense”.

      The main issue is; The western countries, the USA and many other countries are either okay with it, agree with it, pretending to be blind or are unable to do anything.

    • NOT_RICK@lemmy.world
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      16 days ago

      To answer your first question, yes. Israel has occupied the Golan Heights since the sixties and they had effectively annexed it over 40 years ago, as Israeli law applies in the Golan Heights despite being a de jure piece of Syria.

    • Kusimulkku@lemm.ee
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      16 days ago

      I’m surprised Russia and Israel aren’t bigger friends since they seem to be so similar lmao

      • NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io
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        16 days ago

        They actually are. I don’t quite understand their relationship myself, but Israel has sold US tech to Russia a few times AFAIK.

    • lurklurk@lemmy.world
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      15 days ago

      I imagine the thought process is that it’s easier to do it now during the chaos than later when there’s some form of new government and organised defence.

      They’re taking out capabilities so a new, possibly not Israel friendly government, won’t have them, and thus will be less of a threat.

      It doesn’t make it ok of course.

  • OccamsTeapot@lemmy.world
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    16 days ago

    The IDF (military) has been operating in Syria in recent days to strike and destroy strategic capabilities that threaten the State of Israel.

    By this logic everyone in range of Israel’s weapons should immediately strike them and keep going until they’re no longer a threat.

    Also my neighbour has a gun so I broke into his home and killed his whole family. The police didn’t seem to understand my argument but I tried to explain how my mission was a great success and that I have the right to defend myself.

    • nonailsleft@lemm.ee
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      16 days ago

      More like you know your asshole neighbour has lots and lots of guns. One day he’s chased away by some religious fruits, so before they move over you sneak into his abandoned house and make those guns dissapear.

      • OccamsTeapot@lemmy.world
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        16 days ago

        It was not abandoned. It was taken over. What do you think they left it unattended after winning and then Israel politely “snuck” in with 350 FUCKING AIRSTRIKES and “made them disappear” before anyone claimed ownership? Absolutely delusional

        Also, even if your neighbour is chased out of his house, that doesn’t give you the right to take or destroy his stuff? How is this complicated

        • nonailsleft@lemm.ee
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          15 days ago

          Is it still his stuff if he’s ran away, never to return?

          (Also, he tortured kids to death in his basement)

          • OccamsTeapot@lemmy.world
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            15 days ago

            Regardless, it’s not yours, is it?

            (Also, he tortured kids to death in his basement)

            Good job he’s gone then

            • nonailsleft@lemm.ee
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              15 days ago

              Regardless, it’s not yours, is it?

              Correct, they’re no one’s. And now they are returned to the Earth

  • NeuronautML@lemmy.ml
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    16 days ago

    It’s a matter of time until Israel starts taking Jordan land as well. The writing is on the wall. If i was responsible for defense in Jordan, I’d start constructing defensive fortifications, anti air and military communications infrastructure as soon as possible.

    I don’t know how much that would help though, the US will actively put down anyone who tries to defend themselves from Israeli expansion.

    • assassinatedbyCIA@lemmy.world
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      If i was responsible for defense in Jordan, I’d start constructing defensive fortifications, anti air and military communications infrastructure as soon as possible.

      Only problem is israel would bomb them as soon as they started to be constructed claiming ’self defence’. The zionist plan for greater israel literally subsumes the region. Yet we’re meant to believe that israel is acting in self defence?

      • NeuronautML@lemmy.ml
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        15 days ago

        Better do it with the army conducting training exercises nearby then. Appeasement doesn’t work with these kinds of people. They will strike and if conflict is inevitable, might as well push your enemy to meet you on your terms rather than when they’re ready.

        Of course i don’t mean striking first, certainly not in this situation. But carrying out defense within one’s borders isn’t exactly something the international community would see as a valid enough cause of provocation for a preemptive strike. Israel is losing support worldwide and cracks are starting to form in their economy.

        Imagine if Ukraine had properly built defenses when it was clear Russia was about to attack them, instead of starting to build them 6 months after Russia invaded, hoping they wouldn’t attack. The amount of manpower they would have saved. How many times must history teach the same lesson over and over again. How come we even have armies like the Lebanese army who wouldn’t even defend their own citizens from an invading foreign force just to appease. It just doesn’t seem right to me.

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    16 days ago

    I’m pretty sure Egypt is the last of Israel’s neighbors it hasn’t attacked in some way over the past year.
    It’s only a matter of time until they cross a line and start a conflict they can’t bullshit their way out of.

    • Madison420@lemmy.world
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      16 days ago

      They they’ve attacked the Egyptian border crossing multiple times to keep it closed.

      • Chainweasel@lemmy.world
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        16 days ago

        I want to preface this by saying I am absolutely not a fan of Donald Trump, but he is about to be sworn in as president again in about a month and he genuinely doesn’t give a shit about America or American influence in the Middle East.
        If Saudi Arabia wants to dismantle Israel, all they’ll have to do is let him slap his name on a few luxury hotels there and he’ll look the other way.

        • LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net
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          16 days ago

          Maybe. He and important members of his coalition have been very supportive of Israel in the past. I don’t think it’s as simple as you say. Some of the isolationism the coming out of his mouth is more myth than reality I think.

    • SulaymanF@lemmy.world
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      15 days ago

      Israel already killed Egyptian soldiers and broke the peace treaty by occupying the border and seizing the Gaza crossings.

      But Sisi the dictator did nothing.