In the last year, Israel averaged nearly two daily attacks on Syria and grabbed more land in the occupied Golan Heights.
It has been one year since a lightning offensive by allied rebel groups led to the fall of Damascus, ending the al-Assad dynasty’s 54-year reign.
Yet, as the regime collapsed, Israel seized on the instability by significantly escalating its military campaign in Syria, targeting much of its neighbour’s military infrastructure, including major airports, air defence systems, fighter jets, and other strategic facilities.
Over the past year, Israel has launched more than 600 air, drone or artillery attacks across Syria, averaging nearly two attacks a day, according to a tally by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED).
The map below shows the ACLED-recorded Israeli attacks between December 8, 2024 and November 28, 2025.
The bulk of the Israeli attacks have been concentrated in the southern Syrian governorates of Quneitra, Deraa, and Damascus, which account for nearly 80 percent of all recorded Israeli attacks.
- Quneitra, adjacent to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, was attacked at least 232 times.
- Deraa was the second most targeted governorate, with 167 recorded attacks focusing on former regime military sites and suspected arms convoys.
- Damascus governorate, which hosts key military highways and logistics hubs, was attacked at least 77 times. Damascus city, the capital, was attacked at least 20 times.
Why is Israel attacking Syria?
While Israel’s air attacks have escalated this past year, it has been attacking Syria for years, justifying its actions by claiming to eliminate Iranian military installations.
Since the fall of the al-Assad government, Israel claims it is trying to prevent weapons from landing in the hands of “extremists” – a term it has applied to a rotating list of actors, most recently including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the primary Syrian opposition group that led the operation to overthrow al-Assad.
Just four days after the fall of al-Assad, Israel announced it had achieved total air superiority by destroying more than 80 percent of Syria’s air defence systems, in order to prevent the new Syrian state from posing any military threat.
Since taking power following the overthrow of al-Assad, President Ahmed al-Sharaa has consistently stated that his government seeks no conflict with Israel and will not permit Syria to be used by foreign actors to launch attacks.
Israel grabs more Syrian land
In the days following the fall of al-Assad, Israeli troops crossed into the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, which Israel has occupied since 1967, violating the 1974 UN-brokered ceasefire agreement with Syria.
The Israeli military has established several military outposts, including at Jabal al-Sheikh, in nearby villages, and within other areas of the United Nations-monitored demilitarised zone, where it has carried out frequent air raids and ground incursions.
Israel’s invasion of Syrian land has drawn widespread international criticism. The UN, along with several Arab nations, condemned Israel’s actions as breaches of international law and violations of Syria’s sovereignty.
Despite these condemnations, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in February that Israeli forces would remain in the area indefinitely to “protect Israeli citizens” and “prevent hostile entities from gaining a foothold” near the border.
To visualise the scale, the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights spans 1,200sq km (463sq miles), an area roughly the size of New York City or Greater Manchester. The UN buffer zone covers another 235sq km (91sq miles), comparable to the size of the city of Baltimore. Additionally, Israel has seized an estimated 420sq km (162sq miles) of Syrian land beyond the buffer zone, a territory roughly the size of Denver.
The slider below details the areas Israel has occupied over the past year.
