Israel has changed its security approach along its northern border since the October 7 massacre and the fall of the Assad regime, security sources explained.
Iran and Hezbollah have attempted to re-establish their presence in the area, along with armed Palestinian infrastructure in the area, security sources report, adding that the groups have faced difficulties in building trust with Syrian civilians living in harsh conditions under a new and unstable regime.
Israel’s political leadership has decided that the IDF will protect the border and the residents of the Golan Heights on the Israeli side from Syrian territory, setting up posts in the Syrian Golan and conducting ongoing security operations in the area.
The IDF has destroyed critical infrastructure threatening its operational freedom in the air and on the ground, including preventing weapons smuggling to hostile entities.
In recent months, the IDF thwarted several attempts to transfer tanks and armoured personnel carriers (APCs) to the Syrian Golan region.
“The IDF will not stand idly by if the Syrian regime or others attempt to bring heavy equipment into the Golan Heights, even if the weapons or vehicles are not aimed at Israel. Any such action poses a threat to Israel,” a security source told Walla.
After Assad’s regime fell, Ahmad al-Shaara took power, and his presence drove away Iranian elements, Hezbollah operatives, and their representatives from the Golan Heights, as the two groups view each other as "sworn enemies."
“We are identifying attempts by Iran and Hezbollah to return to the region and re-establish themselves. We will not allow this,” a source stated.
When the Israel-Hamas war began, Palestinian terror cells managed to launch rockets toward the Golan Heights.
“There is Palestinian infrastructure in Syria. It is not strong, but it exists. We are monitoring this to ensure it doesn’t approach the border,” an IDF source said at the time.
Another source mentioned that anyone moving in Syrian territory is being monitored, including Sharaa’s people, as there is still no agreement between the sides.
“Almost every house in the Syrian region is likely to have weapons because the trends in the area are jihadist. We must remain alert to this,” he explained.
Meetings with Druze on Syrian soil
“After all they’ve been through in recent years, they mostly want to live,” said another IDF source.
“The situation also changes the further you are from the border. There are areas where people still draw water from wells, without running water. No new vehicles, no permanent jobs, and everything is old and falling apart. The residents live in simple structures, some without windows. People sleep on the roof in summer because it’s hot, and move to a sealed room in winter because it’s very cold.”
In the northern Golan Heights, some Syrian Druze have proposed ideas for annexation to Israel. Some only seek assistance due to fears of the extremist regime’s people.
In central Golan Heights, Syrian citizens are indifferent, telling IDF officers, “The regime was here, didn’t care for us. The new regime, half here, also didn’t care for us. [the IDF] were here before, didn’t really care for us, or cared for us and left us. And now? You’ll be here, then come to an agreement, and then leave us again.”
As a result, security officials claim the Druze are less cooperative with the IDF, sometimes even opposing basic communication, as they understand that everything is temporary.
In recent months, dozens of Syrians have been arrested and transferred for questioning over concerns about hostile activity against the IDF and Israel, with some having connections to Palestinian infrastructures in the area.
“There are attempts to establish armed infrastructure in the region under various local organizations,” a military source said.
Before the current escalation, the IDF carried out over 100 strikes in Syria in recent months to eliminate military capabilities in the region. In recent days, the IDF attacked tanks to prevent Syrian regime forces from moving toward the Druze mountain as part of the massacre against the Druze community.
“The IDF sent a message to the al-Sharaa regime that Israel will not stand idly by,” said a security source.
He added, “If the situation continues to deteriorate, the IDF will take more aggressive actions. The Israeli decision is clear to everyone: not to stand idly by.”
The source rejected reports that the United States prevented Israel from striking in Syria.