Satellite Imagery Reveals Israel’s Military Expansion in Syria
Satellite imagery has uncovered the construction of seven Israeli military bases within Syrian territory recently occupied by Israel following the collapse of the Syrian regime.
According to images captured by the American company Planet Labs PBC and published by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Israel has established seven military bases inside Syria. This development marks a significant escalation in Israel’s military presence in the region.
Strategic Move After Assad’s Departure
Haaretz reports that this move began in December 2024, shortly after the departure of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government. Israel seized the opportunity to bolster its military foothold in the territories it now controls. The satellite photos reveal seven military sites stretching from Mount Hermon in the north to Tel Qudna in the south, near the border triangle connecting Syria and Jordan.
Israel has shifted from temporary incursions into Syrian territory to establishing a more permanent presence. Meanwhile, Syrian authorities have remained hesitant to confront this intervention directly.
Aiming for Long-Term Control
The newly constructed bases appear to support Israel’s plans for a prolonged stay in the occupied Syrian regions. The Israeli military has advanced into the buffer zone surrounding the Golan Heights, expanding its occupation to within 25 kilometers of the Syrian capital, Damascus.
On February 11, 2025, Israel’s Army Radio announced that Israel had quietly established a security zone inside Syrian territory. The broadcast confirmed that the Israeli military is working on nine military sites within this zone, emphasizing that Israel’s presence in Syria is no longer temporary.
Israel’s Military Plans for 2025
The Army Radio report further revealed that the Israeli military intends to maintain its presence in Syria throughout 2025. To support this, Israel plans to increase its troop deployment to three brigades, a sharp rise from the one-and-a-half battalions stationed there before October 7, 2023. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, during a visit to the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, reiterated that Israeli forces would remain in Syria indefinitely.
