Israel is lobbying the United States to keep Syria weak and decentralised, including by letting Russia keep its military bases there to counter Turkey's growing influence in the country, four sources familiar with the efforts said.

Israel confirmed it is conducting strikes in southern Syria, as the new Syrian government calls for the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Syrian territory.

(JTA) — Even as tensions between Israel and Syria ramped up in recent days, a small group of Syrian Jews recently celebrated a milestone that once seemed unthinkable: a return visit to their home country.

Jerusalem said to have told Washington that Damascus's new Islamist rulers, backed by Turkey, pose a threat to Israel's borders

Israeli forces have pushed into Syria south of the capital Damascus and said they will remain there indefinitely.

Israeli attacks are angering Syrians and unsettling the country’s new leaders, who are dealing with multiple crises after the end of Bashar al-Assad’s rule.

Syria condemned on Tuesday Israel's incursion into its territories and called for Israel to withdraw, according to a the closing statement of a national dialogue summit organised by Syria's new Islamist rulers to outline the country's political roadmap.

The Israeli occupation has begun a new phase of escalation in Syria’s south, in preparation for indirectly annexing it, echoing the escalation taking place in the West Bank, Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar reported on Thursday.

Israeli officials believe that Syria's Ankara-backed new Islamist rulers pose a threat to the Jewish state's borders