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The Israeli regime sustains its heavy attacks against various areas across Syria as Western-backed militants, who ousted the country’s government earlier this month, strengthen their foothold.

On Monday, the regime’s warplanes struck vital facilities and military infrastructure along the country’s western coastline, including the cities of Tartus and Latakia, where they pounded missile bases and ammunition depots.

Massive explosions rang out across the cities during the attacks.

Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen television network said Israeli occupation forces had also advanced as far as 15 kilometers (9 miles) in the western Syrian province of Quneitra.

'An earthquake'

Russia’s Sputnik news agency also reported Israeli assaults against military facilities in Hama and Homs, two other western provinces, adding that attacks against Hama and Aleppo, which is likewise situated in western Syria, shook the targeted areas like an “earthquake.”

Local sources, meanwhile, reported that the regime’s warplanes had also hit the Military Airport in the eastern province of Deir al-Zawr.

The agency cited sources as saying that Israeli warships had launched a number of missiles towards the Syrian coast, especially targeting the Tartus Province.

According to them, this was the first time that the Israeli military was deploying “such missiles” against Syria’s military sites.

The reports came a day after the regime attacked the positions that used to belong to the country’s Republican Guard and the Syrian military’s Fourth Armored Division in the Tal Mneen area and the town of Hafir, north of the capital Damascus.

Also on Sunday, Israeli forces occupied three new villages across the country, namely the Jamla village in the western Syrian province of Dara’a as well as the Mazraat Beit Jan and Mughr al-Mir رillages in Rif Dimashq Province.

Israeli aircraft also bombed an air defense site in the town of Muhajja in the eastern countryside of Dara’a’s capital and attacked the warehouses of the Syrian military’s 18th Armored Division in the eastern suburbs of Homs.

The regime has markedly intensified its deadly attacks against the country, especially targeting its military infrastructure, in the aftermath of its takeover by anti-Damascus militants, who are widely reported to have been receiving extensive military support and cooperation on the part of the Israeli regime and the West.

As part of its aggression, the regime has expanded its occupation of Syria’s Golan Heights, overrunning a buffer zone in the territory, and announced plans to ramp up the population of illegal settlers in the mountainous region.

Regional Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Iraq, have lashed out at Tel Aviv over the measures.

Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Leader of the Islamic Revolution, has called the Syrian conflict a "joint American and Zionist plot," while attributing a secondary role to a neighboring country in the crisis.

Speaking to a gathering in Tehran on Wednesday, Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized, "There should be no doubt that what happened in Syria was plotted in the command rooms of the United States and Israel. We have evidence for this."

The Leader also pointed to the involvement of a neighboring nation, widely understood to be Turkey, stating, "One of the neighboring countries of Syria also played a role, but the primary planners are the US and the Zionist regime."

Ayatollah Khamenei dismissed fears of a weakened resistance front following the takeover of parts of Syria by militants and Takfiri terrorists. He assured that resistance will emerge stronger despite the adversities. "This is what the resistance is, this is what the resistance front is. The more you push, the stronger it becomes; the more you commit crimes, the more motivated it becomes. The more you fight with them, the more widespread it will be, and I tell you, by the Divine Power, the domain of resistance will cover the entire region more than before."

The Leader rejected analysis suggesting that a weakened resistance front would lead to Iran’s decline. "That ignorant analyst, unaware of the meaning of resistance, imagines that when the resistance becomes weak, Islamic Iran will also become weak, and I say that by God's will and power and with the permission of God Almighty, Iran is strong and powerful and will only grow more powerful," Ayatollah Khamenei declared.

Highlighting the divisions among militant groups operating in Syria, the Leader noted, "Each group has its own agenda and all seek to stake out their own turf."

In a significant milestone, the Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat Higher Primary School in Newpadpu, Harekala, has introduced a bilingual Kannada-English medium this academic year, a move spearheaded by Padma Shri awardee Harekala Hajabba. The school has so far received 13 admissions for its Class 1 bilingual program.

This initiative is part of a broader effort by the state government, which approved 38 schools across the district to launch bilingual mediums. Expressing his delight, Hajabba shared that he had been advocating for a bilingual school for years. "The bilingual medium will greatly benefit students in this region who otherwise rely on private schools. However, we currently face a shortage of classrooms. Construction of two additional classrooms is underway, and once completed, we expect higher admissions," he said.

The school had previously been permitted to introduce LKG and UKG classes in the last academic year. According to the school’s headmistress, Rajeshwari, while the pre-primary sections have seen good enrolment, the bilingual Class 1 faced challenges, securing only 13 students. She attributed this to the late notification of permission, which arrived a month after the academic year began, leading many children to enroll elsewhere.

Rajeshwari remains optimistic about the future. "We expect better admissions next academic year as awareness about bilingual education at this government school grows," she said, adding that the classroom shortage will soon be addressed.

Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI) Venkatesha Subraya Patagara noted that bilingual schools across Dakshina Kannada have generally received a positive response, with some schools enrolling more than 100 students. The effort to offer bilingual education in government schools marks a step forward in providing affordable, quality education to underserved regions.