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Israeli forces have launched what is being described as "one of their largest air assaults on Syria", targeting critical military and strategic sites, including airports and airbases in Damascus.

The operation follows the recent overthrow of Bashar al-AssadÌýby opposition forces and represents a significant escalation in Israel's ongoing military involvement in Syria.

Reports indicate that the Israeli military has advanced up to 25 kilometres southwest of the Syrian capital, reaching the town of Qatana.

This is a key location located around 10 kilometres within Syrian territory, east of the demilitarised zone separating the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria.

The Israeli incursion has raised tensions in the region and prompted widespread condemnation, including from Iran, Qatar, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia.

Airstrikes intensify, civilians killed

Israeli airstrikes have continued overnight, with Syrian security sources reporting the destruction of dozens of military assets, including helicopters, jets, and key installations of the Syrian Republican Guard.

"Israel destroyed the most important military sites in Syria, including Syrian airports and their warehouses, aircraft squadrons, radars, military signal stations, and many weapons and ammunition depots in various locations in most Syrian governorates," the Britain-based Observatory said in a statement Tuesday.

Near the port city of Latakia, Israel targeted an air defence facility and damaged Syrian naval ships as well as military warehouses.

At least two civilian casualties have been confirmed, with further casualties feared as the airstrikes persist.

In the hours following the airstrikes, Israeli troops reportedly seized control of strategic positions, including Mount Hermon’s summit and several villages within the demilitarized zone.

The area, governed by the 1974 disengagement agreement between Syria and Israel, has now been breached by Israeli forces, leading to accusations of violating the long-standing ceasefire agreement.

'A flagrant violation'

The United Nations peacekeepers have accused Israeli forces of breaching the 1974 ceasefire agreement, with Iran condemning the incursion as a violation of international law.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry called the attack a "flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter".

Despite widespread international criticism, Israel maintains that its actions are purely defensive, asserting that the seizure of the buffer zone is necessary for security purposes.

The airstrikes come amid the chaos following the fall of Assad’s regime and the subsequent efforts by opposition forces to establish a transitional government in Damascus.

Syria's struggle amid displacement crisis

As the violence escalates, the humanitarian crisis continues to worsen. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates that between 800,000 and one million people have been displaced within Syria since the recent outbreak of conflict.

Thousands of civilians are facing "secondary displacement," as they are forced to flee ongoing battles and airstrikes.

Israel’s attack on Syria comes two days after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad by opposition forces.

Mohammad al-Bashir, head of the Idlib-based Syrian Salvation Government, is now expected to lead a transitional government in Damascus.

Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) has vowed to hold former military leaders accountable for war crimes as families search for missing loved ones in Saydnaya Prison.Ìý

The discovery of thousands of detainees at the notorious facility, including activist Mazen al-Hamada, has raised concerns about the ongoing human rights abuses under the previous Assad regime.