Live: Over 100,000 bodies found in mass grave near Damascus

Turkey has sharply criticised Israel’s recent invasion of Syrian territory as it carries out hundreds of air strikes in Syria and its forces advance from the occupied Golan Heights.

The Turkish foreign ministry issued a statement condemning Israel’s entry into the separation zone between Israel and Syria, underscoring Turkey’s firm support for Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The statement condemned Israel’s actions, highlighting the significance of maintaining stability in the region. It also emphasised Turkey’s commitment to Syria’s political unity and its efforts to achieve lasting peace.

Turkey expressed concern that Israel’s actions were a sign of its continued “occupying mentality,” undermining prospects for peace during a critical time for the Syrian people.

Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, Israel has carried out approximately 310 airstrikes in Syria, targeting a variety of military sites, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

These strikes have hit facilities in Aleppo linked to the Syrian Air Force, along with weapons and ammunition depots on the outskirts of Damascus, as well as several other locations throughout the country.

The UK-based war monitor reported that the attacks severely disrupted Syria’s air defence systems, rendering many of the targeted sites inoperable.

The air strikes targeted military assets in multiple provinces, including Deir Ezzor, Hama, Homs, Hasakah, Latakia, Damascus, Rif Dimashq, Deraa, Quneitra and Aleppo.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron expressed their willingness to engage with Syria's new leadership, following the ousting of Bashar al-Assad, under certain conditions, a statement from the German government revealed after a call between the two leaders.

According to the statement, both leaders agreed to collaborate with Syria's new rulers, emphasising the importance of fundamental human rights and safeguarding ethnic and religious minorities.

Scholz and Macron also welcomed the removal of Assad, noting the immense suffering he inflicted on the Syrian people and the extensive damage caused to the country.

The two leaders expressed their intention to strengthen the European Union's role in Syria, focusing on support for a political process that is inclusive, and pledged to coordinate closely with Middle Eastern partners on future steps.

Qatar's military has successfully delivered its first batch of aid to Syria, sending supplies via air to Gaziantep, Turkey, according to a statement from the country's foreign ministry.

The shipment, coordinated by the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), included food, medical supplies and shelter materials.

This aid is part of an air bridge established by Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The Israeli navy launched a major overnight attack on Syrian military vessels, with the aim of crippling Syria's naval fleet.

The Israeli assault destroyed several Syrian vessels, which were carrying dozens of anti-ship missiles, near the Latakia port area.

An Israeli military spokesperson rejected claims that Israeli forces had advanced beyond the buffer zone into Syrian territory.

This denial came after Syrian sources reported that Israeli troops had reached a point 25 kilometres from the capital, Damascus. "This is not true; the forces have not left the buffer zone," the spokesman said. 

Israel's denials could not be independently verified. 

The Swiss government announced it is freezing asylum proceedings for Syrians due to the changing situation following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government.

The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) stated that it is unable to fully assess whether asylum conditions remain valid or whether deportation orders are justifiable.

"The SEM is suspending asylum procedures and decisions for asylum seekers from Syria with immediate effect until the situation can be reassessed," it said on X.

Iran has strongly condemned Israel's incursion into the UN-patrolled buffer zone that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria, calling it a "violation" of international law.

Foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei condemned the move, stating in a statement published last night that "this aggression is a flagrant violation of the United Nations charter."

Two regional security sources and one Syrian security source reported on Tuesday that Israeli military forces have advanced approximately 25 kilometres southwest of Damascus into southern Syria, reported Reuters.

The Syrian security source specified that Israeli troops reached the town of Qatana, located 10 kilometres into Syrian territory, east of the demilitarised zone that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria.

The Israeli military declined to comment on the reports.

Israeli Army Radio reported that Israeli forces are currently within the so-called buffer zone between Israel and Syria and approximately 30 kilometres from Damascus.

Taking advantage of the withdrawal of forces loyal to ousted President Bashar al-Assad, the Israeli military has advanced into strategic areas of the Quneitra Governorate in southern Syria.

Al Jazeera Arabic revealed that Israeli forces have taken control of Mount Hermon’s summit and several nearby villages within the demilitarised zone, reaching up to 18 kilometres deep into Syrian territory.

This demilitarised zone is governed by the 1974 disengagement agreement between Syria and Israel, making Israeli incursions a clear violation.

Israel carried out its most intense air campaign in Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Monday.

The UN Refugee Agency (Unhcr) estimates that between 800,000 and one million people have been displaced within Syria since opposition forces began their offensive to overthrow Bashar al-Assad.

Of this total, approximately 150,000 people are experiencing “secondary displacement,” according to the agency.

Unhcr reported that nearly half of the displaced population consists of women and girls.

“The security situation in Aleppo, Idlib, Hama, Homs, and Damascus remains dynamic. There are multiple overlapping population movements, including major internal displacement within Syria, some internally displaced persons returning home, movements out of Syria, and relatively small numbers of refugee returns,” it said.

Good morning Middle East Eye readers welcome to our live coverage of the ongoing developments in Syria following the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad. Here are some of the latest developments: 

• Explosions continue to rock Damascus as Israel's military intensifies its air campaign, described by Israeli media as "one of the biggest air attacks" in its history

• At least two Syrian civilians have been reportedly killed in the ongoing Israeli strikes

• Mohammed al-Bashir, head of the Idlib-based Syrian Salvation Government, is expected to lead a transitional government in Damascus after the former prime minister under al-Assad agreed to cede power

• Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has pledged to hold former military leaders accountable for war crimes as families search for missing loved ones in Sednaya Prison

• In northeast Syria, the Syrian National Army (SNA) continues its offensive against the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)

Our liveblog will shortly be closing until tomorrow morning.

Here are the day's key developments:

-Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) have appointed an interim prime minister to administer Syria following the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad. Mohammed al-Bashir, who was previously head of the HTS-backed government in Idlib, was announced on Monday to temporarily take over the country's running.

-Over 4,000 Syrian army soldiers have fled to Iraq following the fall of Damascus to rebel forces and the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, reported AP. The official said the soldiers surrendered their weapons, ammunition, and armoured vehicles before being relocated to a camp, though its exact location was not disclosed.

-Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Monday that Turkey expects international actors and the United Nations to back the Syrian people in establishing a comprehensive administration, reported Anadolu Agency.

-The Reuters news agency is reporting that HTS-led rebels have granted amnesty to all military personnel conscripted into service during ousted President Bashar al-Assad's rule, citing sources on the Telegram platform. 

-Yemen's Houthis said they would support Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) if they moved to confront Israel's incursions into Syria.

-A Syrian opposition source has told Reuters that the US and Turkey have reached a deal for the US-backed Kurdish forces, otherwise known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), to withdraw from the besieged town of Manbij, in northeastern Aleppo, Syria.

-Israel bombed more than 100 sites across western Syria on Monday, in an act that the US called "self-defence".

-The US says that journalist and former US Marine Austin Tice is still alive in Syria, where he has been held in Syria since 2012. Washington has deployed hostage affairs envoy Roger Carstens to Beirut as part of "intensive efforts" to find Tice after the fall of the Assad regime, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters on Monday.

-Washington will seek to contact Syrian rebel factions, including Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller indicated to reporters on Monday. "We do have the ability to engage with organizations [that] have been designated [as terrorists]," Miller said.

A US indictment unsealed on Monday charged two high-ranking Syrian officials under ousted President Bashar al-Assad with war crimes, the US Justice Department said in a statement.

The indictment, which was unsealed in the Northern District of Illinois, charged the former Syrian intelligence officials with engaging in a conspiracy to commit cruel and inhuman treatment of civilian detainees, including US citizens, during the course of the Syrian civil war.

- Reporting by Reuters