Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will not allow Syria’s new army or the insurgent group that led the ouster of former President Bashar Assad to “enter the area south of Damascus” as his government made clear Israeli forces would stay in parts of southern Syria for an indefinite period.

In an address Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Syria’s new rulers should demilitarize the Quneitra, Daraa and Suwayda provinces.

The Israeli military conducts air raids on what it described as military bases and command centres. The Israeli military has conducted air raids targeting what it described as military bases and command centres in southern Syria and outside the capital, Damascus.

Widespread protests broke out across southern Syria following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent remarks rejecting the presence of Syria’s interim government forces in areas south of Damascus.

Israeli warplanes late Tuesday struck military sites in southern Syria, the Israel Defense Forces said, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to demilitarize the border region.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that the military will remain in southern Syria for the foreseeable future. “In Syria, Israeli forces will remain stationed at the summit of Mount Hermon,” referring to Jabal al-Sheikh in the occupied Golan Heights.

Syrians have taken to the streets in southern Syria to protest over Israel’s expansion into the country and its prime minister’s statements that Syria's armed forces cannot move south of the capital.

The Israeli Army has carried out military strikes on southern Syria, days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called to demilitarise the area. Two people were killed after bombing on a military unit close to the capital city of Damascus.