Israeli forces advanced into the Syrian village of Jumla in the Yarmouk Basin of Daraa province, launched air strikes across southern Lebanon, and raided a UN-operated vocational training centre in occupied East Jerusalem, while far-right lawmaker Zvi Sukkot demolished a Palestinian memorial under military escort in the West Bank village of Madama [4][6][2]. The operations across multiple fronts occurred as Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani indicated US-mediated security talks with Israel are expected to resume [27].
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that Israel will not withdraw from Mount Hermon or the security zone while jihadist threats persist, and Israeli Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir warned that hostile forces will not be allowed to establish a base on the border [15][24][25]. The Israeli military said it fired on a person in the final stages of preparing an attack in southern Syria [19][23]. The Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned Katz's entry into Syrian territory as a flagrant violation of sovereignty, and al-Shaibani told UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that regional peace is impossible amid grave violations of national sovereignty [15][26]. Guterres said violations of Syria's sovereignty are unacceptable and must stop [26]. US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack called an Israeli strike on the Abu al-Duhur airbase an unnecessary escalation that does not contribute to regional stability [18][24]. The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the airstrike and called on the international community to end Israeli aggression against Syria [18].
Israeli air strikes targeted al-Mansouri, Sarbin, Kafr Rumman, and the Nabatieh district in southern Lebanon, with a large-scale detonation in the town of al-Khiyam [3][6][11][12]. Lebanon's Health Ministry reported 4,350 people killed and 12,310 injured since Israel launched attacks on March 2 [11]. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric reported that UNIFIL observed 173 Israeli airspace violations and significant ground and air activity [17]. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called Israel's aerial herbicide spraying a flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty and an environmental and health crime [7]. Dr. Hisham Younes, president of the environmental group Green Southerners, reported a rise in fires coinciding with large-scale Israeli detonations and the demolition of entire neighborhoods, describing the combined tactics as a systematic process of place erasure [7]. Katz stated that all homes in Lebanese border villages will be destroyed, comparing the plan to the demolition of Rafah and Beit Hanoun in Gaza [7]. Political scientist Karim Bitar said Israel's prolonged operation on Ali Taher hill expands the de facto security zone [21].
Israeli forces raided the UNRWA Qalandia Training Centre in occupied East Jerusalem, expelling employees and raising an Israeli flag in the courtyard [2][13]. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the evacuation was conducted in accordance with newly passed anti-UNRWA legislation [13]. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir celebrated the operation on social media, posting "UNRWA in our hands" [2][4]. UNRWA condemned the incursion, stating that the entry of armed security forces into a UN facility without authorization is unacceptable [13]. Roland Friedrich, director of UNRWA affairs in the West Bank, called the break-in a violation of UN privileges and the right of young Palestinians to education [13]. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the seizure as a flagrant violation of international law and the inviolability of UN facilities [13]. Lawyer Mohammad Dahleh described the takeover as a clear violation of international law and the ICJ advisory opinion [13].
Lawmaker Zvi Sukkot used a sledgehammer to destroy a Palestinian memorial in the West Bank village of Madama while under military escort, posting video of the act on Facebook [4][5]. Sukkot stated he took action because the military failed to remove monuments commemorating terrorists, arguing that children who see monuments glorifying killers of Jews will dream of becoming terrorists [4][5]. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich defended Sukkot's position, arguing the state should have dismantled the monument long ago [5]. The Israeli military stated Sukkot acted deceptively and manipulatively, departing from the approved framework, and called the conduct a grave exploitation of security provisions [4][5][8]. Netanyahu condemned taking the law into one's own hands, stating the IDF is the sovereign authority in the West Bank and such actions interfere with counterterrorism missions [4][5][8]. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said lawmakers are not the sovereign in the West Bank [14]. Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of allowing anarchists like Sukkot to endanger settlement security and damage Israel's international standing [8][14]. Yair Golan, leader of The Democrats party, said Sukkot should be behind bars, not in Israel's Knesset [14]. Rami Nassar, head of Madama's village council, rejected the army's account, saying soldiers stood by as Sukkot vandalised the memorial, and explained the memorial bore names of Palestinians killed in conflicts dating back to 1968 [8][14].
Seven Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza, including three in Beit Lahiya, with a drone strike in al-Mawasi [9]. An Israeli strike destroyed a warehouse storing nutrition supplies for children and pregnant women operated by Ard El Insan and Medical Aid for Palestinians [9]. Sahar Salem, project coordinator at Ard El Insan, said losing the entire nutrition supply stock is a major blow to their work [9]. Dr. Munir al-Bursh, director-general of Gaza's Ministry of Health, warned of a complete collapse of basic necessities, with only 12 of 34 oxygen stations operational [9]. US President Donald Trump said Israel should not be striking in Gaza [9]. Gazan authorities reported nearly 1,300 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces since the October 2025 ceasefire [10].
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced the expulsion of Dutch representatives from the International Support Centre for Gaza in Kiryat Gat, giving them one week to leave, in retaliation for the Netherlands' ban on trade in products from Israeli settlements [1][16]. Sa'ar stated that anyone acting against Israel will have no role in the region [1].
Academic analysts characterized Israel's expanding military footprint as reflecting a broader posture. Elizabeth Tsurkov, senior non-resident fellow at the New Lines Institute, said Israel's approach is driven by the collective trauma of October 7 and an assumption that the new Syrian government is hostile [20]. H.A. Hellyer, senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, described Israel's actions in Syria as an example of Israeli supremacy [20]. Syrian residents recounted detentions and home demolitions: farmer Ahmad Hassan al-Din said his son was taken by Israeli soldiers from their farm near the Golan Heights, and Quneitra resident Mousa Khalil said his house was completely destroyed by Israeli troops [20].
The regional alliance dimension centers on the Mecca Defense Pact. Nasser Hadian, professor of political science at the University of Tehran, said the pact is not directed against Iran in the long term and has limited deterrence effect [22]. Mehdi Zakerian, professor of international relations at Islamic Azad University, argued the pact fits within a historical pattern of Arab and non-Arab states aligning against the Islamic Republic, reinforcing the American-backed regional order [22]. Al-Shaibani said security talks with Israel are expected to resume soon and stressed Syria's sovereign right to determine its alliances [27].