Israeli troops reportedly advance deeper into Syria as Netanyahu testifies in trial

Israel carried out a wave of heavy airstrikes across Syria as its troops advanced deeper into the country, a Syrian opposition war monitor said. Israel denied its forces were advancing toward Damascus.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt have condemned Israel’s incursion into a buffer zone in Syria established after the 1973 Mideast war and a wave of Israeli airstrikes launched after the overthrow of President Bashar Assad. Israel said the move was temporary and was taken to prevent any cross-border attacks after Syrian troops withdrew.

Meanwhile Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is testifying in his long-running trial for alleged corruption. Netanyahu has to answer during his court appearances to charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases.

Israeli warplanes pound Syria as troops reportedly advance deeper into the country (6:10 a.m.)

Israel carried out a wave of heavy airstrikes across Syria as its troops advanced deeper into the country, a Syrian opposition war monitor said Tuesday. Israel denied its forces were advancing toward Damascus after they pushed into a buffer zone inside Syria following the overthrow of President Bashar Assad.

Associated Press reporters in the capital heard heavy airstrikes overnight and into Tuesday on the city and its suburbs. Photographs circulating online showed destroyed missile launchers, helicopters and warplanes.

There was no immediate comment from the insurgent groups — led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS – that have taken control of much of the country. Their lightning advance brought an end to the Assad family’s half-century rule after nearly 14 years of civil war. There are concerns over what comes next.

More on Israel: Israel approves proposed ceasefire with Lebanon’s Hezbollah

Syria’s government will gradually transfer power to interim cabinet (5:01 a.m.)

Members of the Syrian government under ousted President Bashar Assad will gradually transfer power to a new transitional cabinet headed by Mohammed al-Bashir.

The outgoing government met with al-Bashir for the first time since Assad fled Damascus over the weekend.

Al-Bashir told reporters after the meeting that the ministers discussed transferring the portfolios to the interim government during the transitional period until the beginning of March.

He said that in the coming days the new government will decide on each ministry.

Banks and shops reopen in Damascus (4:38 a.m.)

Banks and shops are reopening in Damascus after the chaos and confusion of the first two days following the ouster of President Bashar Assad.

Sadi Ahmad, manager of Syria Gulf Bank, said life is returning to normal. A customer who came to withdraw money from an ATM was surprised to see it functioning.

At the historic Hamadiyeh market, fighters who seized power were still standing guard but shops had reopened — even an ice cream stand.

Resident Maysoun Al-Qurabi said she was initially “against what happened,” referring to the insurgency, but changed her mind after seeing footage of rebels releasing inmates from the notorious Saydnaya prison.

“People are at ease and secure now,” she said. “Before, people were hungry and scared.”

Syrian Christians are cautious after insurgents seize power (4:01 a.m.)

Minority Christians in Syria have been living in a state of uneasy anticipation since insurgents headed by the Islamic militant group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham took control after ousting President Bashar Assad.

Mazen Kalash, a resident of Bab Touma, a Christian neighborhood in Damascus, said he wants to know the plans of the new government that will be formed by the rebels.

“The important thing is to feel safe, bring order, law and respect to the citizens,” he said. “We need to be able to work whatever we want and do whatever we want without any interference from anyone.”

The insurgents have so far attempted to reassure minorities that they will be protected.

Large numbers of Syrian Christians, who made up 10% of the population, fled after the civil war erupted in 2011. Many of those who stayed supported Assad out of fear they might be targeted by Islamist insurgents.

Netanyahu lashes out at media in his corruption trial (3:49 a.m.)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at media during testimony at his corruption trial, which involves media moguls.

“There has never been such a biased media in any democracy … as there is in Israel,” Netanyahu told the court, describing his testy relationship with the press.

He is accused of exchanging regulatory favors with media bosses for more positive coverage of himself and his family. He has denied wrongdoing.

UN envoy says groups controlling Syria have been ‘sending good messages’ (2:54 a.m.)

The U.N. envoy for Syria says armed groups that drove out President Bashar Assad have “been sending good messages” about national unity and inclusiveness but acknowledges that a Security Council resolution still counts the leading one as a terrorist group.

With Syria’s future and stability still very much in flux since Assad’s departure over the weekend, Geir Pedersen suggested that the international community needs to help the country get through this turbulent moment.

“We are still in what I would call a very fluid period. Things are not settled,” Pedersen told reporters at U.N. offices in Geneva on Tuesday. “There are there is a real opportunity for change, but this opportunity needs to be grasped by the Syrians themselves and supported by the U.N. and the international community.”

Referring to Israeli military strikes in Syria, Pedersen said it was “extremely important that we now don’t see any action from any international country that destroys the possibility for this transformation in Syria to take place.”

Turkey condemns Israeli seizure of a buffer zone on Syrian border (2:42 a.m.)

Turkey has “strongly” condemned Israel’s advance into Syrian territory, saying it was in violation of a 1974 agreement on a buffer zone inside Syria.

“We strongly condemn Israel’s violation of the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement, its entry into the separation zone between Israel and Syria, and its advance into Syrian territory,” Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry accused Israel of “displaying a mentality of an occupier” at a time when the possibility of peace and stability had emerged in Syria. The statement also reiterated Turkey’s support to Syria’s “sovereignty, political unity, and territorial integrity.”

Israeli troops on Sunday entered the buffer zone that had been established after the 1973 Mideast war and the military said it would deploy in “several other places necessary for (Israel’s’) defense.”

Netanyahu testifies he works 17-18 hours daily engulfed in meetings (2:35 a.m.)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he works 17 to 18 hours a day and that he is engulfed in meetings, especially during the past year that Israel has been fighting wars.

Netanyahu was testifying in his long-running corruption trial. He has denied charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases.

“If only I could steal away five minutes to enjoy some time with my wife,” he told the court Tuesday.

Israel denies its forces advancing toward Damascus (2:29 a.m.)

An Israeli military spokesperson says reports circulating in the media about the alleged advancement of Israeli tanks toward Damascus are false.

Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said Israeli troops are stationed within a buffer zone on the border with Syria in order to protect Israel following the collapse of President Bashar Assad’s rule.

Israeli media meanwhile reported that the air force was methodically destroying Syria’s military assets to ensure whoever rules the country next would have to rebuild them.

The operations “have been systematically destroying all that remains of the escaped tyrant’s military,” wrote Yossi Yehoshua, the military correspondent for Israel’s largest daily, Yediot Ahronot.

Netanyahu testifies in his corruption trial (1:41 a.m.)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the witness stand on Tuesday in his trial for alleged corruption.

He is accused of promoting advantageous regulation for media moguls in exchange for favorable coverage of himself and his family. He is also accused of accepting tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of cigars and champagne from a billionaire Hollywood producer in exchange for assisting him with personal and business interests.

Netanyahu has denied wrongdoing, saying the charges are a witch hunt orchestrated by a hostile media and a biased legal system that is out to topple his lengthy rule.

Israeli air force has launched hundreds of airstrikes in Syria, war monitor says (12:34 a.m.)

Israel’s air force has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in different parts of Syria as its ground forces move north of the Golan Heights along the border with Lebanon, according to an opposition war monitor.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tuesday that since the fall of President Bashar Assad’s government, Israel’s air force has carried out more than 300 airstrikes against research centers, arms depots and military infrastructure across Syria, as well as a naval base along the Mediterranean coast.

Associated Press journalists in Damascus witnessed intense airstrikes on the city and its suburbs overnight into Tuesday morning.

Photographs posted online by activists showed destroyed missile launchers, helicopters and warplanes.

Israeli military official says troops plan to seize a buffer zone inside Syria (12:32 a.m.)

An Israeli military official says troops plan to seize a buffer zone inside Syria as well as “a few more points that have strategic meaning.”

The official spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. The official dismissed reports of a larger Israeli invasion as “rumors.”

Following the overthrow of President Bashar Assad, Israel sent troops into a buffer zone in Syria established after the 1973 Mideast war. It said the move was temporary and was aimed at preventing attacks. It said the 1974 agreement establishing the zone had collapsed and that Syrian troops had withdrawn from their positions.

Israel has also carried out airstrikes across Syria in recent days targeting what it says are suspected chemical weapons and long-range rockets.

Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli incursion into a buffer zone in Syria (12:26 a.m.)

Saudi Arabia has condemned Israel’s incursion into a buffer zone in Syria and a wave of Israeli airstrikes launched after the overthrow of President Bashar Assad.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that “the assaults carried out by the Israeli occupation government, including the seizure of the buffer zone in the Golan Heights, and the targeting of Syrian territory confirm Israel’s continued violation of the principles of international law and its determination to sabotage Syria’s chances of restoring its security, stability and territorial integrity.”

Israel sent troops into a buffer zone inside Syria that had been established after the 1973 Mideast war. It said the move was temporary and was taken to prevent any cross-border attacks after Syrian troops withdrew.