SaralnamaOn 27 Aug 2025, Israeli forces landed at a former air-defence base near al-Kiswah, about 10 km south of Damascus, Syria. This was their deepest operation inside Syrian territory since Bashar al-Assad was ousted in Dec 2024. The base was once used by Iranian militias. Israeli airstrikes had targeted the area a day earlier, killing six Syrian soldiers dismantling Israeli spying devices. Israeli warplanes and drones blocked Syrian forces from entering until Israeli troops left late Wednesday night. The Syrian government condemned the strikes as violations of international law. The operation occurred amid ongoing security talks between Syria and Israel in Paris, mediated by the US. Syria and Israel remain technically at war since 1948 and lack diplomatic ties. Israel has pushed into the UN buffer zone established in 1974 after Assad's fall. The talks aim to establish a security agreement to reduce conflict and protect minority groups like the Druze. The US hopes Syria might eventually normalise relations with Israel, but current talks focus on security issues only. (Updated 28 Aug 2025, 20:41 IST; source: link)