Nine Dead as Israel Intensifies Strikes in Syria

Nine Dead as Israel Intensifies Strikes in Syria

DAMASCUS/JERUSALEM:Israel intensified its airstrikes on Syria overnight, issuing a warning to the new leadership in Damascus while accusing Turkey of attempting to turn Syria into its sphere of influence, officials said on Thursday.

The latest attacks targeted air bases, a site near Damascus, and areas in the southwest, highlighting Israel’s growing concerns over the evolving political landscape in Syria. Since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s government in December, Israel has been wary of Ankara’s increasing influence and has been actively pursuing its own strategic interests in the region.

According to the Israeli military, its forces engaged in an operation in southwestern Syria, where they encountered armed militants who fired upon them. In response, Israeli troops killed several of them during a mission beyond the separation zone where their forces are stationed inside Syria.

Syria’s state-run news agency, SANA, reported that Israeli shelling claimed the lives of nine people in the region, describing the attack as Israel’s deepest incursion into Syrian territory to date. Later on Thursday, Israeli forces conducted further airstrikes on Kiswah, a town located south of Damascus, SANA added.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz defended the military actions, stating that the strikes served as “a clear message and a warning for the future – we will not tolerate threats to Israel’s security.”

Meanwhile, Syria’s foreign ministry condemned the attacks, stating that Israel targeted five different locations within a 30-minute window. The strikes led to the near-total destruction of Hama air base, injuring dozens of civilians and military personnel. The ministry labeled the airstrikes as an unjustified act of aggression aimed at destabilizing Syria.

A Syrian military official in Hama informed Reuters that a series of strikes completely destroyed key infrastructure at the military airport, including runways, the control tower, arms depots, and hangars.

 

 

Comments

No comments yet. Why don’t you start the discussion?

Leave a Reply